The music pulsed through the club walls, red and violet lights casting dancing shadows over the bodies moving with the beat. The young student stepped forward slowly, still hesitant, yet driven by a curiosity she couldn't fight. Ruby stood farther back, on the upper floor, arms crossed on the railing as she watched everything with a calm — almost analytical — expression. She knew exactly what was about to happen.
"You came back…" Rose murmured, leaning close to Natalie's ear, her voice low and husky.
"I… I don't know what I'm doing here," Natalie replied, though her eyes couldn't pull away from Rose's.
A slow smile curved the vampire's lips, a dangerous kind of invitation. Rose's cold hand slid down the girl's arm, and Natalie shivered.
"You can leave. Or you can stay. The choice is yours," Rose said, though her voice sounded like poisoned honey.
Natalie took a deep breath. Her heart raced, but there was a strange calm mixed with the fear. When Rose gently pulled her by the waist toward the dance floor, she didn't resist. Their bodies moved together with the music, each step closer, each motion more intimate.
Then Rose leaned in and whispered, just for Natalie:
"May I?"
The student closed her eyes, her cheeks warming with a deep blush. She didn't say no.
Rose's lips brushed Natalie's neck softly —first as a kiss, then with fangs breaking the skin. The world seemed to disappear. Instead of the pain she expected, Natalie felt a wave of heat rushing through her body. A deep, pleasurable shiver overtook her. Her breath quickened, and her hands clutched Rose's shirt, as if she didn't want her to stop.
From above, Ruby simply watched. Her eyes glowed a vivid blue, but there was no shock — only silent acceptance. She knew Natalie had given in on her own.
When Rose finally pulled back, her lips stained with blood, Natalie was still trembling. A shy, confused smile tugged at her mouth.
"I… liked it," she confessed softly, almost as if she didn't believe her own words.
Rose only smiled, brushing her thumb gently across the corner of the girl's lips.
"Good. You taste delicious," Rose said, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.
The next morning, Natalie walked across campus with unsteady steps. There were faint shadows under her eyes, yet a new, unusual brightness within them. When she met Kara in front of the Arts Building, her friend greeted her with the usual smile.
"Hey, Nat! You disappeared yesterday… everything okay?" Kara asked, noticing the strange air around her.
"Yeah… just… didn't sleep well, I think," Natalie said, looking away, almost embarrassed.
Kara raised an eyebrow but didn't push the subject. Still, she couldn't ignore the feeling that something had changed in the way Natalie spoke, the way she smiled.
That night, Natalie found herself restless again. Lying in bed, her thoughts kept drifting back to Rose — the warmth of her touch, the strange intensity she'd felt. It was as if nothing else mattered, even though she didn't remember the bite.
Unable to control herself, she got up and decided to return to the club. The city felt quieter than ever as she stepped once again into that vibrant, intoxicating place.
And there she was.
Rose, as if she had been waiting for her, standing at the same bar as the night before. Their eyes met, and Natalie knew she was lost.