-Daniel-

I had to commend the burst of human invention these past few decades. Their creativity was unmatched to those of vampires, which lead to them evolving the things around them at a much quicker rate than us.

The room we stepped into was a great example.

Colored lights pouring from the ceiling, some strobing in time with the music blasting all around us.

Perfect to get me really settled into the mood. Tonight was gonna be a good one.

The scent of booze and sweat solidified it, and had me peering into the crows to gauge what kind of night this one was going to lead me to.

There were a few familiar faces. None too familiar, but enough for me to take note and keep some distance.

Some new faces as well, both human and vampire scents.

"What's the move tonight for you, D?" Zeke called back to me, speaking loud through the music.

He led us both to the bar on the side that bordered the dance floor, the place where we always started these nights to get settled in and loosen up.

"I think I've gotta give it a little more time to see who shows up."

The crowd made all the difference, and I was still piecing my way through it.

Sometimes there were creeps that ruined things. Other times there were 'life of the party' types who would rally up the rest of us

Slowly eyeing my way through it and constantly suppressing the reach of my pheromone through the room to make this that much easier. It was so easy to get reads on individuals that way, but rather hard to do so without someone noticing.

Another reason why I preferred to be a bit tipsy. It helped me reign back those natural advanced instincts of mine. As a precaution.

I overheard Zeke ordering us some Long Islands, leaving me to settle back against a bar stool and continue my search.

"Keep staring like that and people are gonna think youre a creep."

"I'm assessing," I corrected, watching him lean his hips back against the stool same as me.

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"One of these nights we gotta start out with you not being a priss," He teased.

His grin only widened when I glared at him for the comment.

"Your assessing skills are for every other night," He continued, "Not for these."

That's true... I guess to an extent I couldn't help it.

I came to these things for the chance to live in the moment, but the transition from prince to this still took me longer than I'd liked.

Curse these stupid instincts. Even when I could get away, it took some time to embrace it.

I think heirs just had a need to just... constantly focus on something... anything.

A drink appeared infront of my face, courtesy of my friend, "Relax, I'm just giving you shit," He consoled, "You always come around eventually."

Right... The drink will help.

I took it with thanks and began letting it down the hatch while I forced myself to zone out and take in things through the rest of my senses.

My eyes were too strict. Everything else, not so much.

I got about five gulps in, choking and gagging on the sixth as I was forced rather roughly to zone back in and take in what was before me.

I couldn't help it, the sight of the woman approaching the bar was just... unavoidable. I couldn't ignore it even if I wanted to.

Thick blonde hair spilled down past her hips in gentle waves, black leather that held tight to her legs,a simple light grey shirt, and a dark green jacket that only came down to her mid waist. That jacket matched her eyes, which alone were a sigh to behold.

Her walk alone was full of unmatchable confidence and control, nodding her head to the beat with a joyful grin.

She bounced each step nearer, almost making me envy how deep she was in this moment.

My chest clenched, and my jaw locked in an effort for it not to go slack from her sheer... something.

Something... yes there was something off about her. Something that elicited a curiosity I don't think I'd be able to leave alone.

She leaned in and crossed her arms over the bar not even two stools away from me, ordering something I couldn't register with a smile that concluded her vampirism.

Holy shit...

I tried not to stare. I really did, but All I got was keeping her very close in my periphery and stealing full glances whenever I was sure she wouldn't notice.

What was it about her?

This hard thumping in my chest had to do with more than just the fact that I found her absolutely gorgeous, right?

The thumping turned more into a stirring, creating an agreement my entirety was in on.

I wanted to figure her out.

I felt my focus shift to that and that alone, stepping fully out of my 'prince' personnel and ready to dive into this.

I sucked in my bottom lip and looked away once she was handed her drink, but gladly watched her head back onto the dance floor with the same pep as before.

"Dude," I said, slapping a hand on Zeke's upper arm, "dude dude dude."

I kept my eye on her. I couldn't risk losing sight.

"Stop smacking me," He quietly scolded, grabbing my wrist to make sure of it, but my attention was very much elsewhere.

"Oh..." he then said, definitely having noticed the target of my stare, "Dude you stand no chance."

"What?" Okay, I faced him at that, "You really think so?"

I'd say I had skills when it came down to this, and that innate curiosity I could feel all the way down in my instinct was enough of a push to go for it already.

"Absolutely. Look at her. She's fully content in her own element, and I've already seen her pass up two other dudes."

Is that so...

...So he's been watching her too then?

That thought elicited more of a reaction than I would have liked, and one I had to brush away given that it was truly ridiculous.

"They're not me though,"

He barked out a laugh.

"Oh yeah? You gonna finally whip out the prince pass?"

"Shh!" I elbowed him, hushing his laugh down to just some shakes in his shoulder, "I don't need anything like that and you know it!"

He just rolled his eyes with a smile, surely hearing how serious I was about this.

"Yeah alright. I say go for it."

"Really?" Well, that was quick.

"Yeah, man. If anyone's gonna pull it off it's probably gonna be you."

He was right. It was gonna be me, and I was gonna make sure of it.

I threw the rest of my drink back and slammed it on the table, using my free hand to do another last-minute fix to my hair.

Hyping myself up, I suppose.

"Alright, wish me luck,"

Zeke raised his glass to me while I stood up straight.

"Good luck. Should I expect to see you at all for the rest of the night?"

I thought for a moment.

"Hard to say," I answered honestly. I didn't know how far I was gonna get with this girl, "Just meet back at my place to sleep and we'll swap stories."

That was the tradition. Daisy's recovery breakfasts after the fact always hit the spot.

He nodded, "See you then, D."

A grin reached my face again, feeling the excitement and commitment amping me up. Tonight was gonna be a good one.

I waltzed into the bustling crowd, feeling the music starting to affect me the same as everyone else.

She wasn't hard to spot, and my brain had already memorized her scent to lead me right to her.

Her back was to me, purely enveloped in the music with the way her body moved, only the hand that held her drink being held still.

Her drink... okay I can work with that.

I waited, biding my time and formulating a plan as little by little she finished her drink.

Once it was nothing but remaining ice, I struck.

Walking up behind her, I carefully plucked the glass from her fingers, gently setting my other hand over her mid back.

"Looks like you need a new one," I began, setting the empty glass on the very timely passing tray for these very things, "The next one's on me."

The smile that rose onto my face was admittedly natural. It was impossible to hide seeing her face this close.

Who the hell was this woman? I was relatively familiar with nearly every vampire and human in this territory, but this face was not one I would forget.

Those captivating eyes of hers narrowed with a tilt of her head, but that fun loving smile never left her face.

"Is that so?" She replied to my obvious flirt with a pressing tone, as if checking to see how committed I was.

Still, I couldn't tell immediately from her analytical gaze if she was sizing me up, or simply considering the option I'd presented her with.

Either way it sent my instinct buzzing, begging me to release my pheromones to get a better grip as to who she was and what made her set off this curiosity in the first place.

"If you'll let me," I replied, easing my way around to her front. "I may be mistaken, but I haven't seen you around here before and you are quite the heavenly sight to behold. I'd love nothing more than to ensure this night of yours is a good one."

There was absolutely no question that she needed someone to tell her that she was stunning. That piercing, somewhat intimidating look in her eye showed me enough that she knew it already, and knew the perfect way to wear it no matter what.

In fact the look nearly made me hesitate. Me!

It probably would have succeeded too if that smile left in favor of the killer glare I'm sure she could pull off.

Unmatched confidence with the most perfect way to show it. The power she held without even knowing.

It made me wonder for a moment if I was about to be the next one she denied tonight.

The way her eyes then peered down towards where my hand had migrated on her waist, I thought I was done for.

But instead, she took my hand from her, raised it up into the air, and used it to guid herself into a twirl.

Her hair held the faintest scent of rose oil, and the movement of the twirl sent it wafting towards me.

And suddenly... I was a very large fan of it.

My hands moved on the instinct I knew through dancing like this once the twirl was through, my other hand finding her waist to keep her close and steady.

She giggled, nodding a few times in such a way that looked like a personal question getting answered.

Did I just manage to pass?

"Caroline," She simply introduced, "You?"

Oh shit-

"Levi," Was the best I could come up with last minute.

Which was a difficult half-second given that with the two points of contact, my insides were going wild.

Just a quick search. Just one!

Every second she kept us in this position, the need only amplified.

The music was in no way the right kind of this kind of dancing, but I wasn't going to be the one to break it.

"Levi," She repeated it in such a way where it made me jealous that it wasn't my actual name. Her voice was like the soft fur of a mountain cat.

Alluring in a way that kept me on my toes.

Maybe it was because I just really didnt want to fuck this up.

"Alright then. The next rounds on you then?" She asked.

I closed my eyes amidst my chuckle so she wouldn't see my pupils change as my pheromones unleashed.

Gently, targeting only her in the most unnoticeable way possible and in the quickest amount of time.

Just enough for my instinct to get a glance of hers, and retreat.

'Wild' was the only word that registered to me, which didn't help in the slightest

Dammit, now I was only deeper in this, not that that was a bad thing. I was rather enjoying where this was taking me.

"All of them tonight are," I corrected, "Your entire night is on me."

The thought on that for a moment with another one of those challenging gazes.

Though this one got roughly interrupted, her face shooting to my right where our hands were still combined.

"You're warm." She noted with a questioning look.

Right... that was one of the few things about my prince hood that I couldn't hide, but I'd come up enough to where I knew how to deal with it.

Even if it did make me sound a little like a degenerate. Usually, it wasn't noticed or brought right away, so it didn't make me sound as... forward.

"You're beautiful. I couldn't help myself." I had to settle with, given that there was no other explanation other than the truth, and I didn't intend to go there.

Her brows rose in less of a surprised way and more of an 'are you serious' way. One that made my stomach tighten

Oh boy...

"How flattering," She spoke flatly, unable to completely hide the interest I for some reason wasn't expecting, "But I'm not so easily won over. You're gonna have to earn it."

Earn it?

I nearly purred at the thought, at the challenge presented.

"I'm yours then," I promised, pulling her just an inch closer.

That way she peered up at me through her lashes, sent my pulse racing, ready for every waking moment of what was about to happen.

She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth.

"Can you dance pretty boy? More than just like this?" She began, glancing down at our position.

Dance?

...Pretty boy?

"I came here for a night of fun, and if youre so keen on becoming a part of that, I'm gonna need someone to dance with," She gestured upwards, to the surrounding chaos of lights and sounds.

I'll be whatever she wanted tonight.

"Take the lead, Caroline," I purred her name, "I promise you I'll make this a night to remember."