Olivia Anastas has been kissed many times before, but a kiss has never left behind a stale sugary sweetness on the tongue. Never has she been kissed by lips so cold and tough that her mouth had to instinctively curl inwards. It was like kissing a marble statue or the inside of your old fridge. Just icy and unpleasant... and yet that sweetness, it didn't taste like any piece of candy she'd ever eaten, and she didn't like the way the man looked down at her through a petrifying gape. She knew she was repulsed by his pale complexion. Even under the neon crimson lights, his skin had large blue veins, one prominent one on his forehead and plenty more on his dainty hands.

He so wasn't her type. What she found more disgusting than the dry cold kiss was his attitude towards her core beliefs – especially about human rights. She thought talking about feminism would drive men like him away, it was an anti-misogynist card she'd flexed once before. But Aron Lapure had his lanky fingers pulling at the strings of her mind. His enamouring prettiness caught the attention of every person in the bar. His undeadly stench was hidden under a heavy exquisite perfume that worked so well in covering him.

Until tonight...

We'll get to that.

The moment Aron had walked into TINTIN's Club his focus was on little miss beauty queen in virgin white. He slavered at the sight of her honey coloured legs bared in cotton shorts. He was almost turned on by the liveliness of her skin and the natural youthful blush on her puffy cheeks. He could hear the blood rushing up to her face, through the veins of her throat. The fangs residing in his gums were desperate to latch onto any juicy part of her fleshy frame.

Olivia had made things too easy for death. She had an easy-going nature even when she was under a lot of stress. Tonight, was her birthday, she was finally eighteen and had been allowed to book a room in the Crown Casino Hotel out in Southbank. Out from a provincial town and into the city of Melbourne.

And while she was working a sweat in trying to put her thoughts together, I was standing by the entrance. Under TINTIN's beg red neon sign feeling the wavering heat of the closed space in front of me and the cool crisp night air at my back. I was here for her; this was a fortune foretold to me two nights ago. I was to be at this bar at exactly eight pm and I... Well, I was ten minutes late, but I got there, nonetheless. The description fit, Mr Lapure looked tacky and just like any lame old vampire you'd see in films. I double-checked the photograph and the notes sent to me on my phone of the girl. Olivia Anastas, freshly eighteen, from somewhere in regional Victoria.

Thanks, Aphrodite, ever so thorough in your work.

I could smell him, even under the pungent perfume, that rotting smell of maggots born from dead skin. It was acrid and bitter and overtook the smell of sweaty dancers and the medicinal smelling drinks filled to the brim with liquid courage. A tingling sensation deep in the pit of my chest grew out to fingers and through my legs down to my toes. My heart to racing and every other part of me itching to be released.

I slid through the clumsy bodies and red-faced university students. Taking a side note on the freshly escaped high school graduates, lingering awkwardly with their backpacks and Kathmandu jackets. Far in the corner were the international students looking like they were having more of a grand time than the domestics. The bar was lined with giddiness and excited beating hearts, as well as flirty bartenders. The smell of cheesy fries nearly made my mouth water, but I was exclusively focused on the vicious pale man. The tips of my fingers starting to ache as the talons threatened to unleash.

The closer I got the stronger the stench of death got. My heeled boots clicked on the sticky wood floor and Lapure's odour started to become overwhelmingly nasty. Humans are blessed with their basic senses because if they could smell this creeper the building would be closed off and burnt to the ground.

There was a long mirror behind the bar that caught me in my expensive all-black attire, with my long pleather coat, tight pants, and dramatic liner. My beastly self looked fantastic tonight. The anger didn't appear through my nonchalant façade, but I was certain some people could feel it as they stepped away as I glided through.

When I got to that balcony, into the fog of cigarette smoke. I slipped the jacket down my shoulders baring my skin to the sting of the cold night. Underneath was my mesh long-sleeved leotard with a heart-shaped bust. I know it's not necessarily progressive for a woman to use her looks and body to her advantage, I'm sure I'd be accused of taking our sex back thirty years. It's almost as if everyone has forgotten how useful a corset is in battle.

I didn't bring a weapon tonight or anything handy for a fight. My claws were itching to be tested and tonight, with all my pent-up fury, it was time to give my beast a turn. I rested my elbows against the glass handrail beside the vampire. Took a deep breath and asked him, in a thick bogan accent.

'Got a dart?'

Aron Lapure had a golden head of hair and for a man of the age he was representing, the forty-year-old lines were smoothed out around his eyes. Giving the old leech a baby-like complexion except for the permanently furrowed brow. He was freshly made, or freshly dead. His body had not yet turned the clock back to perfect the youthful look and it would take months for the body to settle, but he had met me instead.

Lapure turned on me. I pulled out a silver lighter from my coat pocket, the dragon engraving winking at me under the streetlight.

'No.' He dismissed.

'Oh!' I laughed finding a packet in my other pocket but losing the accent. 'My bad!' I kept laughing as I put a cigarette between my red lips. 'These pockets of mine, I think the lining must be ripped, everything just disappears then reappears on me.' I laughed even more obnoxiously, smacking Lapure's arm in the process. His upper lip jerked up into a snarl for a second before falling back into place. It hurt him. Good.

'How's everyone's night going?' I asked looking at Olivia. Hoping to hear her speak.

'Good.' He said, from the corner of my eye I could see his jaw clench tightly. My devious self wanted to leap in joy, then with itching gums lunge for his gullet with my teeth. Lapure cleared his throat and I drifted my gaze leisurely back onto him and his sick looking skin. I felt a prodding at the mental barriers that keep my mind intact and protected from outside influence. Can't speak for what happens behind the barriers and what I put my mind through – but that's a subject for another time. Lapure prodded and poked as he stared me down and I wasn't shy. I grinned right back; my smile faltering however when his arm wrapped around Olivia's shoulder. 'Yeah, my girl and I were just about to leave.' Your mind magic doesn't work on me pissbaby.

'Oh!' I laughed again. 'Cute. How long have you two been together?'

Olivia rightfully panicked. 'No, we just met. We're not-,' I slid along the rail pushing past the vampire until his hold was broken from the girl and I was right beside her.

'Well, then, tell me...' Her blue eyes stared up at me like two stunned headlights from a very pretty face. Her caramel hair, however, looked like it had been flayed too many times with a straightener. She looked a lot younger than her photo, which would explain why she would be the perfect target on an inexperienced vampire.

Olivia seemed so lost and naïve. I couldn't pinpoint what was so special about her as there was not even a flicker of something supernatural. Nothing that should capture my bosses' interests.

Olivia Anastas was as bland as any other mortal around me.

To think we were about to become lifelong friends.

'Which way do you swing?' I asked wiggling my eyebrows.

'Huh?' She said. Eek, I still regret that. She just seemed so flustered therefore flirtatious humour was not the right call after she'd been kissed by the equivalent of a dead limp fish. Besides, it was mainly to rile Lapure up. My entertainment shouldn't be the cause of someone's discomfort, and by the rapid beating of her heart, this poor girl needed no more unwanted advances.

'Where are your friends right now?' I said. Olivia looked around her and the vampire placed his icy hand on my shoulder. I imagined steam rising between his fingers from my hot skin. I also imagined slashing his throat right there and then.

'Don't touch me.' I immediately snapped. Eyes on Olivia who was staring warily at the hand on my shoulder. When he didn't let me go, I shot him a warning glare.

The fool completely ignored it. 'Excuse me, I was here first.' He said. 'Unless the little miss likes to be shared...' I raised my hand to stop him right there.

'Sorry darl,' I lit the cigarette in my mouth. Leaned back and blew a cloud in his face. 'I'm not into blondes.' I gave him a once over. Not a single weapon concealed on his person. Not a scent of poison, or some narcotic. This vampire didn't step out prepared. Maybe I had been gone for too long – long enough for this vampire to feel safe in his pursuits. This was just going to be too easy and I had a massive problem with that.

His eyes moved down my arm and through the sheer fabric of my sleeve was the tattoo – the silhouette of a wild cat crawling up to my shoulder. In an instant, his heart stopped pretending to beat and I fluttered my lashes and puckered my lips in a mocking kiss. I stepped away from Olivia pressed myself against him, pressing him into the glass railing of the balcony, heart to heart, one faltering from the lack of blood to pump. We were two hungry predators looking to tear at something.

I leaned in and purred in his ear. 'Let's find a place more private,' I ran my charcoal black nails along his neck. 'so, I can claw out that throat of yours.' Lapure followed my amused gaze towards the entrance of Tintin's. He shook at the silhouette waiting ever so impatiently there. Two bright eyes shining from the black shadow.

'I-I-I-,' he kept stuttering.

'Say goodbye to the nice girl.' I whispered.

'It was nice to meet you.' He choked out.

'There's a window in the toilets you could escape through.' I said low enough for only him to hear. 'We'll give you a head start.' I gave a good smack on his butt and let him scurry away towards the toilets.

My friend in the doorway ran out the way she came tempted by the good chase. I leaned back against the glass railing and inhaled another polluted breath from my cigarette.

'I didn't see him coming.' Olivia said with this dazed forlorn look. Like she'd taken a real mental thrashing.

'They're sneaky aren't they.' I said.

'I guess... But I always see people coming.'

'What do you mean?'

'Oh! Nothing!' She let out a nervous laugh. 'I'm just normally good at avoiding creeps.'

'They get us all. Don't worry.' I analysed her face catching that glint of fear in her eye as she followed the invisible trail Lapure had left.

'Nice top.' I said to distract her. Commenting on that beautiful white floral blouse.

'Oh, thank you.' She said, the muscles in her forehead relaxing.

'I think I have the same but in black.' I smiled.

'Ha! No way.' Little Olivia flicked her hair back off her shoulders and finally allowed herself to release a sigh of relief. 'You are stunning by the way. Are you like a model?'

'Aw. You're too sweet.' I said as I adjusted my jacket into place covering my tattoo. 'Where are your friends again?'

'Oh-they should be... at the bar over there, see?' She pointed out a disgruntled looking pack of girls who seemed way out of their zone. When she turned back to me, she had a wry look on her face. 'I don't swing that way just so you know. I am flattered though.'

It took me a second to realise what she'd meant, and I burst out laughing. 'That's a little condescending.'

'Oh! I didn't mean it that way!' She said suddenly distraught again.

'I'm just kidding.'

'Ha-ha! Right! Sorry.' She made a move to leave but then settled herself down on the free table beside us. 'I'm Olivia.' She patted the high stool next to her wanting me to sit with her. I glanced over at her friends who claimed their own table and didn't seem bothered anymore by Olivia's disappearance.

I checked my phone. I've got time, my friend should have Lapure by now.

I sat down across from her rather than right next to her.

'You don't mind if I smoke do you?' I said.

'Not at all.' She smiled. 'What's your name?'

I grinned. 'Medusa.'

'Wow, are you serious?'

I sighed but was still smiling politely. 'Yeah.'

'What a name.'

'My mother had great plans for me against her ex-husbands.'

'Ha-ha!' She paused. 'Wait are you-,'

'That guy must have really freaked you out. And no, I have yet to turn anyone into stone.'

'Oh, well that's good.' She laughed. 'I'm sure there were people who deserved it.'

'Plenty.' I replied. 'Are you alright?'

'It was just a weird chance meeting. I've never had trouble with saying no to guy but like... I don't know. It's like my head got all fuzzy or something.'

'I'm sorry to hear that.' I said as I put out my cigarette on a nearby table's ashtray. I had to lean between a couple who looked ready to complain until they caught sight of something of my appearance that they did not like. Might have been my all-black attire, or my startlingly beautiful face or the bulging biceps I got popping through my clothes (probably all of the above). I turned back and sat back down pretending not to notice that Olivia had slid a seat closer to me.

She was incredibly good at carrying on the conversation and didn't seem to care that all her friends were waiting for her at the bar. She was patient and careful with her questions, she didn't seem to mind my vagueness and indicated no sign that she knew when I was lying. She was extremely cute, like bright blue-eyed doe cute. The urge to protecc and attacc for her was strong and she was pleasant enough that I would not have minded spending the entire night talking to her. Regrettably, I was running out of time.

'Hey, Olivia, can you do me a favour tonight?'

Her face paled but she held up a strong smile. 'Uh, what?'

'Well, first off, stay hydrated and avoid drinking if you can help it. Also, try to stay close to your friends. It's obvious that this is your first-time clubbing and predators like that man lookout for young people like that.'

'It's really that obvious?' She asked. I nodded with a sympathetic smile.

'Here take this.' From my other coat pocket, I took out a studded choker with long silver spikes protruding all along the plastic band. To the careful eye, one might be able to catch the gentle gold light radiating off the choker. A protective charm, or maybe more of a deterrent. I wasn't planning on being on baby-sitting duty all night.

'Put this on when you feel intimidated.' I said. 'But make sure you wear it with a 'don't try me face'. Goth chicks sometimes terrify weak men.' I said making sure to gesture to myself.

'What? You're just gonna give me-? I can't take that.'

'It works ninety-nine percent of the time.'

She glared into me, her sapphire eyes burning through my dark eyes.

'Thanks...' She said very unsure of the whole thing but accepted the gift anyway. She stared at it unnervingly before putting it on and threw up a peace sign while pouting her glossy lips.

'Purr-fect.' I said rolling the r's. Then encouraged us to get to her little merry band who sparked with life the moment their main girl had returned to them. They were all very friendly, throwing out compliments with no shame. Except for one who eyed me in such a way that it was difficult to decipher what she thought of me. They all cheered in honour of Olivia's birthday and as they turned away for a split second I disappeared back into the throng of youths and out of TINTIN's.

Around the corner was the alley right where the bathroom windows lead out for a quick escape. Mr Lapure was in the arms of another woman now. In a chokehold of a burly arm attached to another stunning face and glowering look.

'Let me go!' He said, snarling with his wicked snake-like fangs. My closest companion Zara was incredibly secure in her hold that his protests and violent swings barely fazed her. The glowering look, though, that was set towards me. Two beaming eyes of neon green light with black slits for pupils... She was a force to be reckoned with. Even in her bright pink pyjamas.

'You took your time.' Zara said.

'Met a girl.' I shrugged and stepped closer to them. Pulling out another cigarette and lighting it.

'He's been a bit difficult.' She said.

'I see.' I narrowed my eyes onto the vamp taking in his shiny suit. His charm had simmered down and all that was left was a lousy looking imp in a button-up burgundy shirt. 'I don't want to add insult to injury,' clear lie and everyone knew it. 'But what were you thinking?'

'What?' He hissed confused.

'That shirt...' I said and grabbed my own throat in disgust. 'With those shoes, I mean...'

'Piss off.' He spat, then he stopped squirming and looked down at his feet. 'What's wrong with them?'

'It's the fringing,' I tapped the cigarette and let the ashes fall on the tip of his ugly leather shoe. 'And then the shade of brown with the black pants and it's just really sad that you're going to die like this.' I said with a mocking wince before I put the dart back to my lips. His frightened eyes expanded to their full width.

'Please, I'm new to all this. They-they said you would be merciful if I followed the rules.'

I blew out another puff of smoke into his face then disregarded him to ask Zara, 'Where the hell is Mary? She's supposed to be here grappling with this poser.'

'She called me to take over tonight.' Zara said, bored and exhausted. Looking as if she had rushed all the way here from the middle of a nap.

'Are you kidding me? All that whinging for the extra training and she doesn't even- where did she have to be that was more important?'

'Her parents are socialites or something... All I know is that there's some party she couldn't miss,'

I stiffened. 'A party.' I said through gritted teeth.

'Um...' Said Lapure.

'I had this guy on a silver plate for that princess.' I snapped. 'He is literally the easiest game in Melbourne.'

'Excuse me,' Mr Lapure squeaked.

'It took me no time to grab him, you should be giving her tougher challenges.' Zara said.

'I could do without the tone.' I said.

'I could do without the smoke in my face.' She snapped.

'Sorry.' I said putting out the ciggie under my boot. 'And you know, I would be giving her a tougher time if she showed up to anything.'

'Uhhh-,' Lapure attempted to interject again.

'I'm sorry, are you in a hurry?' I turned to Lapure giving my award-winning scowl then clenched tightly to his throat, my black nails elongating and pricking into his skin. His eyes sparked red and flooded with fear. A part of me almost fell for the morbid human expression but with Olivia in mind, I salivated at thought of squeezing his neck so tight he would look like a cartoon. Yes, squeeze out that overconfidence till his eyes burst from his head.

'They warned me about the rules-,' he cried. Whoever made up those rules is an arsehole. I don't abide by them or acknowledge them. Life is precious, and consent is important. A vampire shouldn't be draining humans completely, they also shouldn't drinking a sip or a drop from a living body as far as I'm concerned.

'Do you really expect me to believe that that young girl consented to be drunk from?'

'B-blood banks have so little to spare these days...'

'Here's tip.' Zara sneered. 'Stop infesting the world with more vampires.' If she could have and if he had any use for his lungs, I'm sure she would have suffocated him to death.

'I can lead you to others. Others worse than me, they-they changed me. W-without permission. I know you-,' he pointed to me, even grabbed my coat to shake me. 'You're big on consent! I promise that I'll be better. I won't touch another human ever again!'

I kicked him off me and Zara grabbed him by the collar of his jacket.

'What do you think my darling?' I said to Zara.

'If I'm going to be out on my night off, I'd rather it be worth it.' She shrugged. We nodded at each other then we linked arms, on either side of Aron Lapure. Keeping him secured between us.

'So where are we meeting them?'

Then I felt it. The hairs on the back of neck stood on end and before I had enough time to turn, a woman had called out my name. There was a pang in my chest, and I began to unconsciously bite at the skin of my lip, staring squarely at the darkness of the alley. Zara looked ready to toss the vampire's body aside to grab herself a new one when the woman called out to me again, waiting at the entry of the alley.

'Ignore her.' Zara begged under breath. I couldn't, against all better judgement, I just couldn't resist her call. It was like a ghost had me by the neck and was forcing my head around to look at her. I released the vampire, my hands falling slack at my side and Zara quickly snatched Lapure by his coat and had him standing upright beside her.

I walked on to meet a recently spurned flame. Angel Drakon.

Hello lovely reader,

Whether you be a mortal, monster or a myth of legend I need your help!

This is an experimental chapter and I need your opinions on this first chapter. If you could please comment below your answers to these questions with any extra thoughts it would be greatly appreciated! This is an important story to me and I want to make it the best it can be.

1. Is this a strong beginning to a story?

2. Are you interested in reading more?

3. Was there anything jarring about the writing style?

4. Do you want more or fewer illustrations?

Kind regards,

Werepanther Xx