…He stood outside the French doors, watching her as she quickly undressed and slipped under the covers of her bed. He had finally found her…the girl of his own flesh and blood.

"Blood of my blood" he whispered, as he saw her turn off her light. "Flesh of my flesh. I don't need to enter her dreams anymore."

He willed himself into mist and slid under the French doors into her room. It was only a matter of seconds for him to materialize behind her, so that she was sleeping…cradled in his arms.

He took in her scent…her heart beat a beacon for his heightened senses…her blood coursed through her veins, with a hint of his blood entwined…she was his now.

'You are mine now' he thought, putting his words in her subconscious 'I will never let anything or anyone harm you, my sweet…rest…and I will give you eternal life'

He tilted her head so that his lips could brush against her jugular vein. He opened his mouth and his fangs emerged, while the whites of his eyes flooded red. In a matter of seconds, his fangs pierced her delicate skin.

Garnet moaned quietly in her sleep as he drank her sweet blood.

But not too much…he had to savor her…He didn't want everything to happen all at once…He lapped up enough blood to satisfy his thirst, and then pulled away after his mouth was nice and red.

'Sleep, my sweet' he thought, as he saw a smile play upon her full lips 'You need all the rest you can get'

Garnet slept peacefully for the rest of the night, cradled in his arms. He stayed awake, listening to the beating of her heart…

… "Holy shit" Serena exclaimed as Garnet strode up to her "What did you get up to last night? You're pale as a ghost!"

"Oh pish" Garnet said dismissively, rolling her eyes "My mom said the exact same thing earlier on."

But it was true…Garnet was seemingly more pale than usual. Plus, she had a host of new ailments she vowed to keep to herself lest something or someone prevented her from seeing her new companion later on.

"Oh Serena" Garnet said, smiling brightly under her sunglasses "He is sooooooo gorgeous"

"Give me details, girl!"

"Well" Garnet paused, smiling "After I left the club with Julian, those two thugs swarmed us. Julian responded by throwing me to them...fucking coward."

"Yes you told me that" Serena said, twirling her hair in anticipation "Keep going"

"As I was forced into a very uncomfortable position, he appeared out of nowhere…the taller thug tried to attack him, but it was anticipated. He literally picked the thug up with a single hand and started crushing his throat"

"Oh my god" Serena exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise "Then what?"

"He let him go" Garnet continued, pausing only to take a sip of her iced caramel macchiato. "Then he walked me home…oh Serena, he is soooo dreamy. He's everything I have ever wanted in a man!"

"You're incredibly lucky, Garnet" Serena said, amazed at the story she had just heard "So, are you going to see him again?"

"Yes!" was Garnet's immediate reply before she burst out into giggles.

"Do you know his name?" Serena demanded curiously, thinking of the possibility this handsome stranger had a friend for her to date.

"Nope" Garnet replied, realizing her predicament.

"Do you know how to get a hold of him?" Serena asked, frowning.

"Nope"

"Then how will you see him again?" Serena inquired, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

"He's picking me up at home" Garnet said, smiling modestly. "He said he would drop by at sunset."

"Sounds romantic" Serena said, smiling wistfully "Maybe you should ask him if he has any available friends."

Garnet and Serena exchanged glances before bursting into laughter…

... Garnet sat on her bed, nervously anticipating what was to come. She was rarely nervous before dates, but this man was decidedly different from the usual men she dated. She figured it was the connection through their dreams that made this even more unique.

She started pacing around her bedroom, wearing a slightly more conservative outfit than the outfit he'd last seen her in. Instead of the leather pants and halter top, she was wearing a nice summery halter dress with her denim jacket on top.

"Calm yourself, girl" she murmured to herself as she stopped pacing and glanced at the time on her watch. "It's just a man...an enigmatic man who is gorgeous beyond belief!"

She was startled out of her little pep talk by a knock at her French doors. Knowing it could only be him, she opened the door, putting a smile on her face.

"Hello" she said, letting him glide into the room "It's good to see you"

"It's good to see you as well" he said, taking her hand the way he had done the night before "Your beauty never ceases to captivate me"

Serena couldn't help but stare at him incredulously. There was so much about this man that she needed to know. Plus, if she was going to find out, she knew that her bedroom was the wrong place, especially if her mother decided to walk in.

He seemed to read her thoughts, something that made her a little nervous.

"Come" he said, leading her out the door "Let us enjoy this night"

'Ummm okay' Garnet thought dreamily as she followed him out of her room...

... "So" Garnet said as they walked along the lamplit streets "You never told me your name."

"I have many names" he replied mysteriously, pausing to look at her "Names that are so much more complicated than yours"

"Uh-huh" she replied, arching an eyebrow in confusion as they started walking again. "So then, what do I call you?"

"Call me...Vlad" he said, staring up at the moon momentarily as they passed building after building "My name is Vlad"

"Okay, Vlad" she said slowly, feeling they made some progress. "Where are we going?"

"To my abode" he said, gesturing towards a building in the distance.

Garnet's eyes widened as her gaze followed to where he was pointing. It was an old but luxurious building near the cemetery. She and Serena passed it many times, wondering if anyone actually lived there. It looked almost like a mix between a chapel and a small mansion.

"It looks gorgeous" Garnet breathed as they approached the building "I've always wanted to go inside"

Garnet saw a hint of a smile creeping across his face as he led her inside.

She was awestruck, her eyes pouncing on the decor as they walked soundlessly on the marble floor. It all seemed vaguely familiar to her, almost as if she'd seen it before in a past life.

"It seems you approve of our surroundings" he said as he led her into a big room lit by red candles.

Garnet stood in the threshold, amazed at what she saw. It reminded her of something out of a romance novel.

The luxurious room had a bed that consisted of several pillows for a mattress, a black silky duvet with a canopy surrounding it. A fireplace stood opposite the doorway, making her think of long winter nights curled near it under a blanket.

He put his hand on her shoulder, causing all thoughts to abandon her subconscious as she fell under the spell of his cool touch. He slowly turned her to face him and gazed deep into her dark eyes. She sighed...a sure sign that he had her full attention.

"My sweet Garnet" he breathed, reaching to stroke her face "I never thought I would find you"

Garnet looked at him wordlessly, hanging onto his every word. It felt like he was touching her inner soul while he flooded her subconscious like an aphrodisiac. She wanted nothing more than to feel him surround her and sedate the desire that began to burn through her entire being like primal fire.

"What are you thinking?" he whispered, moving to stand behind her as she stared at the bed.

"You say you never thought you would find me…" she murmured, suddenly shivering as his muscular arms wrapped themselves around her body. "I don't understand…how do you know me?"

"You have haunted my dreams for some time now." He said, his cool lips brushing against the shell of her ear as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "You've bewitched me with your beauty and purity."

Garnet tried in vain to pay attention to his cryptic words, but his closeness was intoxicating and she fell deeper under his spell. Soon, all the questions she had melted away with every beat of her fluttering heart.

Something about his embrace seemed right. They fit together like pieces of a unique tapestry spun by the three aspects of Fate. He slowly peeled off her denim jacket, letting it fall to the floor. He then let his lips gently brush her bared skin in trail from the curve of her jaw to the sweet juncture of her neck where he had supped the night before.

Garnet moaned softly, putting a hand to the back of his head as he kissed the nape of her neck while one of his hands slid down the front of her dress, pausing at the hem of her dress...the other hand snaking underneath her arm to grab one of her full breasts. He nipped at her neck, pressing his hard desire into the small of her back as he tasted her...

... Mary had just finished her evening cuppa when Simon finally arrived home, looking grim. She could see in his eyes that something was terribly wrong but decided against asking him about it. He was under a lot of stress as it was.

"Hello love" he said, kissing his wife tenderly "I am so glad to be home. What a bloody mess"

"Is everything alright at Carfax?" Mary asked, relieved to see her husband home for the night.

"Yes" he sighed, letting his forehead drop to hers "I should have known better than to trust Justin. That slimy bugger had me fooled"

"There there" Mary said soothingly "It's not your fault he was two-faced...don't blame yourself"

"I'm glad everything has been put back in order" Simon said, sighing again "We would have had a real mess on our hands if he had stolen anything there."

"So then our hidden secret is safe?" Mary said, putting her cup in the dishwasher "He's still there"

"I hope so" he said, sinking into a chair at the table. Mary turned to look at him, her face ashen.

"What do you mean, you hope so?" she demanded, panic fluttering in her throat.

"Well the ring of holy water was broken" Simon explained, knowing full well he couldn't hide this from his wife "And, Justin looked like his blood was spilled"

"We have to protect our daughter, Simon Shepard" Mary said, slamming her fists against the counter "Don't you realize how important this is?"

"Hold on a second" Simon said, frowning as he stood up "It's not time to press the panic button yet. Where is Garnet anyways?"

"At Serena's" Mary replied, folding her arms across her chest.

"I'm sure she's safe there" Simon said, trying to convince his wife that all was okay for now "I'm sure if he was free, something would have happened to her already"

"I suppose you're right" Mary said, sighing as she sat down "But you know how much I worry about her"...