The smell of jasmine and musk wafts through the air. My nostrils flair slightly as I breathe in the myriad of smells that surround me. I can smell the scent of fear, excitement and lust coming in waves from the crowd around me.
Electric colors swirl in and out of my vision, as I slip from shadow to shadow. Neon pops on and off from the signs over the crowded bar. Half-naked young bodies gyrate on the dance floor, adding the smell of their passion to the air. This place is huge and far too crowded, but this is where all of the clues and the one lead I have points to.
Someone has been stalking the night crowd, those deziens of the after-dark party circle. Young men and women out for some relief from their mundane lives and who have found only death. Every four days, or should I say mornings, another body turns up. All of them young and beautiful, their bodies devoid of life and blood. That's right, I said blood. Who the hell needs all of that blood? The cops are baffled, but in my line of work, I knew what was responsible.
My eyes shine slightly as I move deeper into the shadows. I prefer the dark and am able to blend in unseen. It seems to help when I am the one doing the watching. I remove my jacket and drape it over a nearby chair. I know that I'm going to need my freedom for what is to come.
The music is loud and the bass is booming through me like my whole body is consumed by the beating of my heart. The beat is wild and seems to be growing stronger. That's when I realize it is my pulse, for I have just seen what I came looking for. Only "she" isn't what I expected.
Swaying into the club like she owns everything around her, she's much smaller in stature than I. Auburn hair catches the light and throws it back in shimmering waves. Her blouse is red silk and very low cut, revealing a generous amount of ample cleavage. I am enrapt as I watch her hips sway seductively in those skin tight leather pants. I can feel the hairs on the back of neck start to rise as she starts over my way. Everyone she passes turns to watch her until she's gone. They seem to be entranced, and I know why.
The shadows come alive and wrap around us as she moves toward me. Her scent fills my senses with sweetness and musk. She is excited already and doesn't care who knows it. She glides effortlessly up to me, the shadows pulling in. When she smiles, her teeth gleam in the darkness. I see what I was expecting, both canines are slightly elongated and sharp against her blood-red lips. Light gray eyes with sparkling golden flecks seem to laugh at her surroundings and everything in them.
"So, are you waiting for me?" Her voice is like liquid velvet across my skin. "You don't look like my usual prey. Hmmm..."
She runs her hand up my chest, and with a flash of her scarlet nails, rips my shirt from me. I can feel the heated air on my skin as I step back from her. My hair is dark, coarse and curly and helps me blend in with the shadows. The remains of my shirt are in her hand and a smile is on her lips.
"I do so love a man with hair on his chest," she purrs in that soft velvet.
"I know what you are, " I softly whisper, as I watch her body undulate to the throbbing music. "I am here for you. But now that I've met you, maybe we can come to some kind of an arraingement."
