His fingers threaded through her soft blonde hair. She was resting against him with complete trust, in an almost hypnotic stupor. It was more than nourishment he was taking from her, a renewed sense of self-importance that somewhat numbed the hellish nature of his day. The young woman was accustomed to being used, but could not have known that she was helping vanquish the memories of Blair coming into his life, with as much gusto and common sense as a freight train running off the tracks. Her blood was pure and innocent, her fingers curling around his lapel as her head rested against his shoulder. The room was mostly dark but swirls of burgundy light swirled near the ceiling, the product of tinted bulbs.

When he was content and strengthened, Josef pulled back and watched the life return to her eyes, turning them a murky green as some of the color fought to reclaim her face. He allowed her to sink into the nearest chair and straightened his collar in the mirror before leaving the room. Blair was seated at the bar, twirling a little umbrella around in what looked like a martini. He came up so silently behind her that she was startled when his hand came to rest on the counter. She stared at his fingers, mesmerized. There was more life in them than she remembered. Her hostess leaned across the counter and whispered, "Don't be too much of a stranger, Josef. Remember, there's always Prague when you grow tired of the glamour of the hills."

"Has it recovered yet from our last visit?" he replied with a meaningful smile. Most of his fondest memories were centered round Prague. It seemed to lure fewer vampires than other parts of the world, and those that did seek its comfortable existence tended to be of greater interest than the rest of the world. Between the operas and the evening outdoor concerts, they had found no limit to nourishment or fascination among the wealthy that flocked there for the summer season. The response his comment garnered was more emotional than verbal as the beauty withdrew once more into the shadows, no doubt to ready her girls for the opening.

Blair followed him out into the twilight, still holding the paper umbrella from her drink. It made a soft crinkling noise as she twirled it between her fingers. The red dress she had chosen from Carmilla's closet hugged her skinny frame as she shivered in the coming coolness of night. "What was upstairs?" she asked as he unlocked the car. It was clear by his expression that it was none of her business, but such silent chastisements had never stopped her before. "If you're on something, I don't want you driving me anywhere."

"The only influence I am under is a severe lack of patience. Now get in the car, I'm taking you home." Josef slid behind the wheel and waited, half hoping that she would refuse and he would have a legitimate reason to leave her there. Rolling down the passenger window, he looked up at her where she stood considering her options. "Are you coming or not?" he asked, and she joined him in the front seat, buckling in without a word. The shaded glass rolled up beside her and she glanced across at him, one of her dark eyebrows lifted in a quizzical expression. Before he pulled out into the street, Josef said, "What went on upstairs is not what you think. I'm not on anything."

He pointedly ignored her as they drove through the streets of LA, the radio off and utter silence in the car. There was not much he could do under the circumstances, and their visit to the club had done nothing to reveal any solutions to the numerous unanswered questions revolving around her mysterious appearance. Blair seemed as though some of her gusto had left her, either through the influence of her martini or personal demons. As darkness fell, he was feeling the effects of exhilaration while she was becoming more and more withdrawn.

"What do you remember from last night?" he asked after a prolonged absence of conversation.

Her nimble fingers tightened in her lap, and she avoided meeting his gaze, keeping her attention riveted to the buildings passing beyond the range of headlights. They had left the bad part of town behind and were emerging onto streets he was more comfortable with. Light flooded the sidewalks where people walked hand in hand or arm in arm, sometimes wrapped around one another as lovers often did. Blair licked her lips, a nervous habit he had noticed that she possessed. Her straight auburn-brown hair slipped over her shoulder, concealing her face from him as she gazed at her hands, covered in scratches from whatever she had tangled with the night before.

"The last thing I remember is leaving my dorm room," she said quietly. "There was some kind of block party the other girls wanted me to attend with them. Everything after that is a blur … I think someone handed me a plastic cup of punch … and then nothing. It's like an entire chunk of my life is missing. Not that it was all that impressive before. I get B's in all my classes, and most of the time am a social loser."

It was easy to imagine her in college, a somewhat brash young woman who gave her professors hell and no doubt went to every anti-violence pro-peace rally on the campus. Her boldness of that morning had vanished, replaced with raw insecurities he found disarming, because it prompted emotions he thought had died long ago with the last remnants of his humanity. Blair was rubbing the back of her hand where it was blotchy and red, her fingers white at their tips. She hadn't eaten since that morning and Josef took her to his favorite place on the Boulevard. It was one of the few restaurants in the city that catered to his kind, and he was immediately recognized at the door.

They were taken to a quiet booth in the back, the lighting low enough that humans would not notice anything peculiar about their dining companions, or for that matter, the pale-skinned waiters. Blair was handed a menu while he was given a "wine" list. The window overlooked the street, and they were free to watch the comings and goings of their companions. There was music traveling faintly from the central square and although no one else could hear it, Josef knew all the notes the instant they left the source. Blair ordered and their drinks were brought, his bearing a resemblance to a Bloody Mary, celery stick and all. He swirled it around in the red substance, aware that he was being observed across the booth. She had taken to staring at him.

"You look different in this light, you know," she remarked.

Of course he did. Vampires came alive after dark, even if they had missed a full day of sleep. There was something predatory about them in late hours, something he knew she must have started to pick up on, even if she did not know exactly what it was. Not just predatory, either… attractive, almost hypnotic. It was why no one ever said no once they set eyes on you. Why most bitings were such quiet and unnoticed affairs. Mick said it was a joke that darkness made vampires more attractive, but for those who had been alive over many centuries, it was fact. Had it not been in darkness when he had first met Beth, that blonde reporter that had been instantly entranced with him?

"Please don't tell me you're suddenly attracted to me, or I might have to file a sexual harassment suit." Josef found that he liked her smile, and the sound of her laugh. He had never heard it before, and it was more of a childish giggle than what he expected. It relaxed the air between them and allowed her to breathe. She indicated his glass and asked if she might have a sip. "You won't like it," he warned her.

"Try me."

"Trust me." He never reached for the glass, but she knew it was out of bounds. Her eyes lowered, and Josef allowed seriousnessness to once more come between them. "Where was this block party you were invited to?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Somewhere on campus, one of the fraternity buildings."

People were passing on the street below, cars driving slowly past down the open avenue. There were still orange and black streamers on the lampposts. Josef could sense the chill that was coming over the city as it fell into darkness. It caused his veins to tingle and his senses to sharpen. It might have even darkened the color of his eyes, for they tended to be too pale in daylight. "And you don't remember going anywhere else?"

"No."

"Then how did you wind up four miles away in the valley?"

Her lips parted but no sound came out. She honestly did not know. It was now annoying him less that he had to look after her, and more that someone had taken such great pains to transport her over such a distance. Still, she must have regained enough common sense to fight, given the wound on her skull and the numerous bruises. Her skinned knuckles lowered beneath the table as her food was brought, its scent so pungent that it nearly made Josef ill. She must have noticed that he was not eating, but said nothing as she cut her meat and took a bite. It was rare, and a faint hue of blood colored the plate. At least she had the common sense not to overcook it.

"Will anyone have reported you missing?"

"I doubt it. My roommate has a habit of staying out all night at these … parties. Classes were off today, so she probably thought I was out somewhere." Blair reached up and unconsciously flattened her hair, making certain with her fingers that it was covering the scrape on the side of her head. It was a very self-conscious movement but made without thought, a response to the fullness of the room around her. Josef realized she was not used to these surroundings, to the intensity of his presence, to the small, intimate feeling the booth provided in its darkened corner. His cell phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out, checking the number in some vain hope that it would be Mick. It was Carmilla. Excusing himself momentarily, he stepped into the corridor that led to the washrooms and answered it.

"Did you get rid of your stray?"

Josef glanced in the direction of the table, where Blair was enthusiastically tucking into her baked potato. "I'm afraid not. Mick seems to have gone missing, so I'm stuck with her at least for the evening."

"I'm sorry. I know how you loathe uninvited guests… even if you did bring her home." Carmilla must have been opening and closing drawers, for he could hear them shifting in the background. Any hopes he had that she might rescue him from his predicament were shattered when she added, "Look, I'm sorry but I won't be in tonight. We're going to trial in the morning, and my numbskull assistant nearly ruined the case this afternoon with her incompetence. I'm guessing it'll take me at least six more hours to get everything together for tomorrow. I thought I'd just go back to my flat when I'm finished. I hope you don't mind."

He did mind, but reassured her there was nothing to be concerned about and hung up the phone. The thought had crossed his mind that he had come to the end of his responsibility. Blair had friends on campus and a dorm room to return to. There was no reason why he should not deliver her home and take his leave. The thought of a quiet, empty house was a welcome reprieve from the frustration he had suffered most of the day. Blair was waiting for him when he returned, her plate spotless, except for the broccoli she had left conspicuously on one corner. "Not a vegetarian, I take it," he remarked drolly, as she slid out of the booth to join him.

"If it doesn't bleed when you stick a knife into it, it doesn't interest me," she quipped back. He quietly took care of the bill and drove her down the winding streets toward the campus. It was a fair drive and she remained quiet throughout. Even before the scent of blood turned his senses to tingling, Josef knew something was wrong. He could sense it as they turned through the main gates and drove to the dorm buildings, stark and white against the murky sky. There was a moon tonight rising over the trees, casting a yellow hue against the leaves that littered the ground from their last rainstorm. It was too calm, almost deadly calm.

For a moment it appeared as though everything was normal, but then he saw the flashing lights and flutter of police tape. Most of the students that had been out partying over their weekend were now gathered in a thick circle around the front of the building. Blair stepped out and pushed her way toward the front before Josef could stop her. No one appeared to notice him as he followed, mysteriously remaining untouched in their midst. Her hand fell over her mouth when she saw the body, half concealed by the stone bench at the side of the building. One brown hand dangled over the raised lining of the flowerbeds, the bushes having concealed her throughout most of the day.

"Gina," she whispered, and started to move forward. But Josef had seen enough, and smelled more than she ever could have understood. He had assumed her mishap of the night before had been nothing more than a drunken stunt, an attempted rapist rather than the thirsty frustrations of an infuriated vampire, but it was easy enough to see what had happened. They had both been drugged, lured into the shadows, marked … but somehow, Blair had managed to escape. But just because she had been saved last night did not mean she was safe. No one could outsmart or outrun a vampire. He knew that better than anyone. Not when they knew the taste of her blood, the scent of it.

His hand closed around her arm and dragged her away before the police could notice she was making a scene. Blair did not fight him as he pushed her into the car and drove them away, as more figures came running across the lawn to see what was going on. She was crying in the passenger seat, tears running down her face, but she made not a single sound. Josef glanced at her sideways once or twice as he roared down the winding cliffs. "What happened last night?" she moaned. "What happened? What am I going to do?"

Without breaking pace, Josef looked directly across at her, his eyes glowing eerily in the nearly nonexistent light. "Do you trust me, Blair?" he asked.

Meeting his gaze without fear, she replied, "Yes."

Good, because she was going to have to if she wanted to make it out of this alive.