Once again, thank you to everyone for your wonderful feedback!

Enjoy the next installment =D

"You look quite uncomfortable," Godric said, noting my extremely arched back. "Just relax."

Relax? Yeah, right. I never fare well in the presence of attractive men. Godric just happened to be the icing on the freakin' cake. He was by far the most gorgeous person, male or female, I had ever seen in my short life. I felt so menial next to him.

I smiled awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little nervous. Today was my first day in Dallas."

He peered down at me, as if he could read my face like a book. "I can tell that you've never strayed too far from your home."

I stared back. Then I burst out in a small fit of laughter. "What is with you vampires? Why do you all know my life story?"

Godric leaned back in his chair. "We've been people-watching for many years."

"It must have gotten boring for you."

"Why do you say that?"

"Dru told me that you've been around for a while, so to speak." I couldn't bring myself to say two thousand years. "You've probably found a way to pigeonhole every single person into specific categories."

"Not necessarily. I have been around for a long time and I have come across many different types of people, but you can't label human beings."

I smirked. "If I were as old as you, I would get tired of people."

Godric looked off into the distance, as if he was reflecting on the past. "What makes you think vampires are a better substitute?" he quietly asked.

"I'm sorry," I quickly stated. "Did I offend you?" Way to go, Annabel. Why don't you piss off a vampire who could tear you in half?

His head turned back to me. The corners of his mouth lifted up slightly in a sort of half smile. I could see the centuries of pain and loneliness in his captivating green eyes. "No. You did not offend, Annabel."

His eyes trailed down to my neck. "Have you been… bitten?"

I nearly forgot about that vampire attacking me earlier. My fingertips rose up to lightly graze the barely visible marks. The skin around them was probably pinkish and tender. "Sort of. A vampire tried to attack me earlier but Dru came around just in time and scared him off. Then she brought me here."

"You're sounding oddly at ease about this situation."

I shrugged. "Believe it or not, I've had a lot worse happen to me." I looked the other way, avoiding his gaze.

I felt his eyes on me. He seemed curious, but he decided to be tactful and didn't press me on the issue. "You look exhausted."

I looked back at him. "I am."

"Would you like me to walk you home?"

"I don't want you to go out of your way."

"A young woman walking home by herself in the middle of the night is a recipe for disaster." He rose up from his chair and extended his hand. "I insist."

I stared up into his eyes, almost being hypnotized. I then grabbed my purse, took his hand, and stood up.

"I apologize for my lack of warmth," he said with a smirk.

"It actually doesn't feel bad." Wow, that made me sound smart. But his skin wasn't ice cold and chill-inducing, like one would assume. It was more cool, as if you held your hand in front of an air conditioner for a minute.

As we both walked towards the door, every single soul in that bar had their eyes glued to us.

"Did you notice that everyone in the bar was staring at us?" I asked Godric as we walked along the darkened streets, the Dallas skyscrapers looming overhead.

He smiled with a closed mouth. "I did not."

"They think I'm your fang-banger, don't they? I detected some jealousy back there."

"And how do you come to this conclusion?"

"Let's just say that I have a knack for understanding human emotion."

"I don't follow."

"I can tell exactly what a person is feeling, what their mental state is. Like, if someone was acting happy but they were secretly torn up inside, I can feel their pain. Do you know what I mean?" I waited for him to give me a weird face. I was sure he thought I was crazy.

He did no such thing. Instead, he looked intrigued, like he wanted to know more. "And how do you confirm these feelings?"

"I usually see the specific event in my head. I'll ask myself, why is this person so cheerful, or scared, or angry? Then, the answer will pop up in my mind and play itself like a movie."

"Can you tell my feelings?" His sparkling eyes stared right into my own and his face came closer to mine. I could breathe in his enticing, indescribable scent.

My feet then came to a halt. I closed my eyes and concentrated. Absolutely nothing came into my head. I tried again, but this time I grasped his hand. Touching the person I'm reading will often help me to achieve a more clear "picture."

Still, nothing came.

My eyes shot open, seeing Godric staring at me. "I'm not getting anything. I guess I can't read vampires." I then remembered trying to read Bill Compton for shits and giggles once upon a time, and he too gave me nothing to work with.

"Could it be that we have no brainwaves?" he asked, glancing down at our entwined hands.

My face turned bright red and I released his hand. I completely forgot that I still held it. "Um, yeah!" I hastily said. "That makes sense." I started walking and he followed.

A playful smile crept onto his face. "You're blushing, Annabel."

My head turned the other way. I still felt flustered and I found myself involuntarily smiling. "No I'm not."

"I know when a human has changed colors. How the blood rushes to your face, showing your emotions. I must say, that ability makes me quite envious."

I laughed a bit. "You, a vampire? Jealous of a breakable little human?"

"Most of my kind don't feel the way humans do. They have been around for so long that they feel superior."

"See, that's just feeding the stereotype. Not all vampires are cold and heartless."

"Exactly how many have you met?"

I shrugged. "Not many, actually. But it's ignorant to think a few bad apples should represent an entire group."

"You're very articulate and well-spoken," he said, smirking. "For a Southerner."

"Hey, we aren't all crazy, inbred rednecks."

"You aren't afraid to be all alone with a vampire?" He tried to look all sinister, but I wasn't buying it. He had the face of a teenage boy. Hardly menacing at all. "We are very dangerous creatures."

Then his fangs came out with a clicking sound, glinting against the artificial lights of the surrounding buildings. This image shattered Godric's innocent appearance. I gasped and jumped back, not expecting the sudden turn of events.

"I startled you," he said. He retracted his fangs back into his mouth and smiled widely.

I let out a chuckle. "I guess you did. I wasn't expecting that."

"Are you afraid now?"

I stopped and looked at him intently. "No," I breathed.

He seemed confused, so I explained further. "Because I know you aren't evil," I continued. "Besides, there are so many other things to be afraid of. Like spiders, murderers, and public speaking."

Godric moved closer to me. I slowly backed up until I hit a wall. His face was only inches from mine and his hands were pressed against the wall next to my head. I hoped my breath smelled decent.

"You're very different," he stated.

I gulped. "Is that a good or bad thing?"

His eyes seemed like they could burn a hole right through me. "It could go either way."

"That's my building over there," I said, changing the subject. I motioned towards the massive high-rise a few feet away.

"You live there?" His head tilted back to gaze up at the towering structure.

"My aunt and uncle do. I'm just staying with them until I save up enough money to get my own place." It felt good to impress a vampire. An attractive one at that.

Godric removed his white-as-snow hands from the wall and backed away from me. Only a centimeter or so, as he was still dangerously close to my body.

"I hope to see you again very soon," he said, brushing a strand of my dark brown, almost black hair from my face.

His touch sent a shiver down my spine, but in a good way. "Can I come to the bar tomorrow night?"

He smiled, this time showing his teeth, and laughing just a bit. "You don't have to ask, Annabel. Stop by whenever you want."

"Okay. I'll swing by around midnight?"

"That is just fine. I'll be waiting for you."

I smiled sincerely. I was sure my whole face glowed. "Goodnight, Godric," I said before advancing toward the front door of my apartment building.

When I reached the entrance, I glanced over my shoulder only to see Godric eyeing me, making sure I got inside safely.

Now that I was inside, I smiled widely, finally able to let go of my "super cool" attitude and act like a giddy schoolgirl. I buried my face in my hand and blushed. The doorman gave me a strange look but I ignored him.

I made my way up to the thirty fifth floor, then slinked silently into Ray and Carrie's apartment like a ninja.