The following night, I headed straight to the comic book store, having gotten some sleep, a long shower, and a change of clothes. Throughout the day, in between my bouts of sleep, I dealt with worry. Was Sam okay or, as that girl said, past saving?

When I arrived, Edgar and Allan were waiting by the doors. They closed up early so we wouldn't waste any more time. They handed me a new set of weapons and filled me in as we walked.

Edgar shoved his hands into his pockets. "I called Sam's house and … he hasn't been home since last night. He's definitely the blond boy that girl was talking about."

"Does Michael know?" I asked, clenching my fists.

"Yeah," Allan sighed. "He's going to meet us at the shop. An extra set of hands we desperately need."

"What about Star and Laddie?" I asked.

"Star wanted to join Michael but someone had to stay with Laddie and she would not put him in danger again," Edgar admitted.

We finished the rest of the trek in silence. I wanted to break something and scream at the top of my lungs. I should've been there. I should've protected him.

Michael was waiting by the backdoor, leaning against the side of the building with a sad look in his eyes. He had the same feeling of deja vu we all had; it was happening all over again. This time we didn't know if we would come out on top.

Michael nodded to each of us as Edgar led the way into the building. We planned to search more in-depth to see if the vampires left any clues behind to indicate their location. We had to find Sam and fast.

Edgar and Allan went one way as Michael and I went the other. We planned to scour every nook and cranny in search of an answer. Sam had to be found before it was too late.

As Michael and I began our search, he tried to start a conversation. "How are you doing?"

"Terrible," I groaned with a sigh. "This should've never happened."

"It's not your fault, Dawn," Michael insisted.

I looked back at him. "You can say that all you want but that doesn't mean I'll believe it. We got in a fight and they captured him. If I had just taken him with me, he'd still be here."

"They would've gotten to him eventually, Dawn. You may have delayed it for a while but they'd do everything in their power to retrieve what they came for," Michael explained. "Don't beat yourself up for something you couldn't control."

"He could be dead, Michael, or … worse," I muttered.

Michael stepped in front of me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Don't think like that. Stay hopeful."

"I just don't know if I can," I admitted.

"Just try. Focusing on the bad will get you nowhere," Michael said.

"GUYS! We found something!"

Michael and I looked at one another before running toward Allan's voice. We found them in one of the storage rooms I'd searched the night before. When we ran into the room, Allan grabbed one of the shelving units and dragged it off to the side, revealing a jagged hole in the floor; a tunnel.

"Where does it lead?" I asked.

Edgar smiled. "Let's find out."

Edgar lowered himself down, dropping into the dirt six feet below. He moved over as Allan and Michael did the same. I sighed, looked around, and then followed them. It was a dirt tunnel with nothing but darkness ahead, even with my vampire vision I could see nothing.

Edgar pulled a flashlight out of the messenger bag he had over his shoulder. He led the way as Allan, Michael, and I followed close behind. I just prayed we'd find Sam in one piece.

Sam found himself lying on a bed of satin in a room so dark he could barely see five inches in front of his face. He began to sit when he felt a hand push him back down. A face appeared from within the shadows, hovering over his own; Celeste.

"Where am.." he began, Celeste placing a finger against his lips to stop him from talking.

"Where you are doesn't matter," she said, moving her finger from his lips to slide down his cheek. "What matters is you're here with me."

"I have a girlfriend, Celeste," Sam said, trying to fight the attraction he felt for her.

Celeste's smile widened. "Oh, I know, but she isn't here right now, is she?"

"Celeste I…"

Before he could even try to protest, Celeste put her lips on his. His face heated up as if it were on fire. Electricity flowing through him with each movement. He knew this was wrong but his mind was going fuzzy. It was getting harder to think.

When she moved back her eyes were on his and that fuzzy feeling grew. It was like he was stuck in a fog he couldn't get his way out of. His limbs felt like lead, he could barely lift his head with how stuck he felt.

"What's happening to me?" he whispered.

"Shhhhh just relax," she said, moving her face beside his ear and whispering. "You'll enjoy this next part."

Her mouth traveled down his throat as her fangs sunk deep into his flesh. He spasmed at the initial pain before the pleasure replaced it. He held back his moans with gasps but he was barely holding back at all.

As pleasure shot through him, he felt hands on his arms and one of his leg. That touch was soon replaced with pain and even more pleasure. It was almost too much to handle.

He looked down to see where this pleasure had come from to find Silas, Tatiana, and Alice on him, feeding on his arms and leg. He should've been scared, but he wasn't. The pleasure outweighed every other feeling. Nothing else mattered.

He knew this was wrong. Deep down he knew he should be screaming for help, trying to fight against their strength, but it felt too damn good; he never wanted it to end.

Some of the pleasure waned when Celeste removed her mouth from his neck, moving it up to his ear. Her breath was hot against his sensitive skin, causing Sam to shiver.

"Don't worry, Samuel. It'll all be over soon."

Before he had even a second to contemplate what she just said, her teeth were back in his neck. All coherent thought went out the window as he writhed in pleasure. If this was it, it was a pretty good way to go.