Now satisfied that I was properly dressed to be seen in public, Xavier went to find himself something to wear. He left me alone in my room with instructions not to "mess up his masterpiece". I rolled my eyes and sat down on the bed, pulling my phone out to see if I had any messages from Jackson.

I clicked open on the message he'd sent to find a loving message telling me to have fun with Xavier tonight and that he'd be thinking of me. I smiled to myself as I texted him back and told him not to work too hard and that I'd see him tomorrow when he had some free time.

I hit send and looked up when I heard my bedroom door open again. Xavier walked in, dressed in dark pants and a tight, dark t-shirt. I was becoming jealous of how easy it was for the guys to get dressed.

"Why do you get to wear that, when I have to wear this?" I asked of him, gesturing down at the skimpy outfit he had dressed me in.

He laughed. "Guys don't dress like that, sweetheart," he told me. I rolled my eyes and he settled down on the bed beside me with a grin on his face.

We had to wait until my parents left for their date night before we could leave. They were still downstairs getting ready to go and if they saw me dressed the way that I was, I'd be grounded all over again. So, Xavier and I lounged back against the headboard and waited for the sound of the car leaving the driveway.

The entire time we sat there, I couldn't help thinking about how rebellious I was being. I'm not an angel, but I've never done something like this either. There was a slither of apprehension, but the excitement and adrenaline far outweighed the cautionary feeling. I felt exhilarated.

I tossed a devious smile towards Xavier.

"What?" he asked of me, smiling back in confusion.

"It's kind of fun being naughty!" I said happily.

Xavier groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "Please, please, don't ever say that again!" he pleaded with me.

I blushed as I realized how my words sounded. "Sorry," I mumbled back at him.

He smiled back at me. "Just don't tell anyone that I helped you realize that disobeying your parents is fun. They'll kill me."

I giggled at his teasing and held up my right hand. "I promise."

Right after the words escaped my lips, we heard the car start in the driveway and we listened in silence as the driveway crunched under the tires as my parents backed down and into the road. I watched their headlights disappear from my window and then turned towards Xavier.

"Ready to go have some fun?" Xavier asked from behind me, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

I laughed and nodded. We made our way outside and to his car, climbing inside.

"So where is this club?" I asked Xavier as he started the car.

"It's in the city," Xavier replied, turning to look out the back windshield as he backed out of the driveway. "It's about twenty minutes away." Shifting the car into drive, we were on our way.

His answer surprised me. I'd been to the city a lot, but I'd never seen any underage clubs before. The club would have to be kept under the radar for it to be so unnoticeable. Although, considering its status as a vampire club, that should have been obvious from the beginning. They wouldn't want human teenagers wandering in.

My knees bounced with excitement as we drove and Xavier grinned over at me as he drove down the highway. "Excited much?" he asked me.

I nodded. "I've never been to a club before and you were right earlier. Whether I choose to become a vampire or not, it's a part of my heritage that I can't ignore. I need to get to know the vampires considering that I share the gene with them, dormant or not."

Xavier smiled happily. "I'm glad that you feel that way, Ceci," he told me warmly. "They'll be happy to get to know you as well."

We drove in comfortable silence until we reached the city, my excitement climbing with every mile. I knew that getting to know the vampires was the right thing to do and I was excited to meet some other than my cousin.

Xavier drove us to the main strip of town and all the way to the end of it where the buildings became run down, the start of the "bad part of town". He stopped in front of a broken down warehouse that looked like it was too rotted to be good for anything.

Spray painted on the front of the brick building like a gang sign was a simple smile with fangs. There were no eyes or nose. Only a black, curved line with two pointed triangles extending from it.

"This is it?" I asked Xavier in surprise, turning to face him with a questioning arch to my eyebrows.

He nodded in reply. "The club is in the basement. It looks much better inside, don't worry. They leave the outside this way to discourage unwelcome visitors. Namely, humans. The club is pretty well known to the vampires in the area."

Xavier got out of the car and I followed him slowly, hardly able to believe that anything could be in the rundown building. I met Xavier at the front of the car and we crossed the street together. Xavier pulled open the door and I was half expecting it to crumble beneath his strength, but it held firm.

The hallway we stepped into was dingy with cigarette smoke and only a single bulb flickered above us, dimly lighting the space. Doors lined the hall, but Xavier focused on the one at the end and led the way down the spiral staircase as swirly lights appeared through the open door. I hesitated only a moment before following him down.

There were lights strung down the handrail of the staircase, their colors changing in a pattern unrecognizable to me. When I reached the bottom I stopped for a moment to soak it all in. Right off the stairs and all the way down that wall was a bar. The DJ booth was centered across from it and the rest of the room was a dancefloor with a few tables interspersed in a seemingly random fashion. Doors were spaced around the room, with the exception of behind the bar, where only two doors stood. Disco balls hung from the ceiling and created fantastical rippling effects of the lights and vampires danced below them all.

"What are the doors around the room for?" I asked, gesturing to them.

"They're private rooms for vampires that prefer fresh blood," Xavier replied and I grimaced. "They have to bring donors with them and they have to be willing, but they're there for their use."

That was gross. I definitely wouldn't be going anywhere near those rooms. Ever. "What should we do first?" I asked Xavier as I looked around the club.

"How about a drink?" Xavier suggested.

"Do they have anything other than blood?" I asked him skeptically.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yes, Celia. Remember that I told you dormant vampires will often find their way here as well."

I nodded and followed him to the bar.

He greeted the bartender warmly, leading me to believe that they knew each other and then ordered us some drinks. When the bartender came back with two glasses, he handed them over to Xavier and smiled welcomingly at me.

"Ceci, this is Jerome," Xavier introduced us. "Jerome, this is my little cousin Cecilia."

Jerome reached for my hand and I gave it to him, expecting a handshake. What I got instead was a gentlemanly kiss to the back of my hand and a bright smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Cecilia," he told me warmly.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Jerome," I replied with a friendly smile.

He winked at me and then he was called to the other end of the bar for another drink order. Xavier smiled and handed me the glass in his left hand. It was filled with a bubbly orange liquid and, while I didn't know what it was, it was pretty easy to assume that it wasn't orange Fanta. Xavier's goblet was filled with a red, viscous liquid and it didn't take a genius to figure out what he was having.

Seeing the probably disgusted look on my face, he grinned. Holding the goblet out to me he asked, "Wanna try some?"

I shook my head, wrinkling my nose. "No, thank you," I replied, taking a swig of mine to show him that I was fine with what I had. I wasn't expecting the burning in my throat that followed and immediately began coughing with the shock. "What is that?" I gasped as I tried to catch my breath again.

"Well, it's not soda," Xavier replied, laughing at me.

Taking a smaller sip and prepared for the slight burning, the drink was actually pretty tasty. I took another sip and smiled as Xavier finished his off and placed it back on the bar. I was about to ask if he was ordering more when a hand fell on my shoulder and I spun around to see who was touching me.

"Xavier, man! Who's your friend?" an attractive guy asked, his hand still resting on my shoulder. He had shaggy blonde hair with blue eyes, set off by his sun-darkened skin. He was grinning at Xavier with familiarity and my worry faded away. They obviously knew each other pretty well.

Xavier smiled back at the guy and nodded to him in greeting. "Hey, Levi! How's it going? This is my cousin, Cecilia. Celia, this is my buddy, Levi."

I smiled politely back at him. "Hey, Levi. It's nice to meet you."

Levi grinned back at me flirtatiously. "Hey, beautiful. Wanna dance?"

My eyes widened at his tone and Xavier stepped in. "Sorry, man, she's mated to a werewolf."

Levi grimaced and squeezed my shoulder gently. "You have my most sincere apologies. Nasty mutts they are."

I rolled my eyes even as Xavier laughed and slapped him on the back.

"Anyway," Levi continued easily, "it wasn't a romantic invitation. Being Xavier's cousin, you might as well be my little sister. Go for a spin with me?"

I glanced at Xavier to see if I should and he nodded. I smiled up at Levi and accepted his hand, allowing him to lead me onto the dance floor. He immediately started spinning me around in circles in the craziest dance I've ever had the honor to participate in. The music was upbeat and we danced with it, but I was nearly always spinning in and out of his arms, as well as under and a couple of times even over.

We traded jokes when we had enough breath to do so and we were both laughing as we danced around. His statement that I might as well be his little sister was starting to feel incredibly accurate. He felt like an older brother to me, similar to the way I felt about Xavier. I felt like I'd known him forever.

I enjoyed dancing with him and it was obvious how Xavier and Levi were friends. They had the same sense of humor, twisted but undeniably funny, and they both enjoyed harmless teasing. They could have been twins if they weren't complete opposites in the looks department. While Levi had that "golden boy" look going for him, Xavier was dark, almost like the "bad boy". They were both incredibly good looking, but on polar ends of the scales.

After a few songs, I couldn't dance anymore, desperately in need of a break. We joined Xavier back at the bar, where he was waiting for us with a grin on his face. I collapsed onto a free barstool and Jerome was quick in placing another glass of the orange alcohol in front of me. I thanked him with an easy smile and took a large gulp, needing something cold to quench my thirst.

"You guys looked like you were having fun," Xavier said, poking me in the side.

I laughed, swatting his hand away. "It was fun," I agreed, making Levi reach out to ruffle my hair. Before his hand could make contact, I swatted at him. I missed completely, but it still managed to discourage him from messing up my hair.

When I finished my drink, Jerome reappeared, taking my empty glass and handing it over to Levi. "Get back here and cover me, boy," he ordered him. "Someone has to teach this girl how to actually dance."

My eyes widened when Levi jumped over to the other side of the bar and Jerome landed gracefully beside me, holding out a hand in invitation. I accepted and was towed back to the dance floor where Jerome proceeded to teach me how to do the twist when the music changed to the song by Chubby Checker.

I wasn't sure it qualified as actually dancing any more than the crazy twirls that Levi had me doing before. I apparently wasn't the only thing thinking this as another vampire tapped Jerome on the shoulder.

"The girl needs to learn a real dance," the cute vampire told Jerome, shaking his head in mock disapproval.

Jerome laughed. "You going to teach her, Lewis?" he asked. Lewis nodded regally and Jerome bowed to me. "I'll leave you in Lewis's capable hands. He's an expert at waltzing."

Xavier and Levi joined us on the dance floor as the music changed and in only twenty minutes or so, Lewis had me waltzing circles around the two of them with him. It was so much fun that I didn't want to stop and it was only the beginning.

Xavier had been right when he told me that the vampires here would be happy to welcome me into the fold. There were multiple people waiting for their turns to teach me a new dance. There were drink breaks so that I could rest for a couple minutes between dances, but they weren't long.

After only a few breaks, the drinks were starting to affect me. I should have seen it coming as I'd never drank alcohol in any large quantity before, but I was having too much fun to pay attention to the number of drinks I was consuming. Somewhere in the crazy mix, someone convinced me to try blood. I was surprised to learn that it was actually pretty good. By the time a vampire named Anthony tried to teach me to Cha-Cha, my feet were no longer receiving signals from my brain. They were doing pretty much the exact opposite of what I was telling them too.

Before I knew what was happening, I had broken away from Anthony and headed straight for the bar. Somehow, I got the notion that dancing on the bar would be awesome and that everyone should see my newly found dancing skills. I was kicking my feet and shaking my butt, just throwing myself around to the beat of the music as I walked up and down the bar.

"Cecilia Jean Moore, get your ass off that bar!" Xavier yelled as he and Levi paced me down the bar from the safety of the floor. The rest of the club was cheering me on, while Jerome only rolled his eyes at me with a grin and continued serving drinks.

I shook my head stubbornly to his demand. "I'm having fun, Xavier!" I yelled back to him, executing a ballerina spin and heading back down the bar the way I'd come.

Somehow I heard his exasperated sigh over the sound of the music and then he said, "Don't make me force you down, Ceci."

I stuck my tongue out at him, expressing my confidence in staying on the bar. Then I threw my hands in the air as the bass pulsed and danced like a crazy woman. Xavier lunged for me and I managed to drunkenly stumble out of his way. The same tactic didn't work on Levi, though, and I didn't really have any other tricks up my sleeve in my current state of mind.

I quickly found myself dangling over Levi's shoulder as the crowd booed their disappointment. Levi waved a hand in apology as he jumped off the bar with me. "Sorry!" he called. "It's time for Ceci to get home!"

"Bring her back to see us real soon!" Jerome called with a wave as Levi and Xavier headed towards the spiral staircase with me.

They nodded in acknowledgment to his words and I pouted at the thought of leaving. "Guys!" I whined. "I was having fun!"

"Too much fun," Xavier replied. "Let's just hope that Jackson never finds out about this."

"He doesn't have to know!" I yelled, just wanting to dance some more. "I don't wanna go home yet!"

"You're going home," Xavier stated. "Levi, you can take her out to my car."

I crossed my arms over my chest as I pouted, still hanging over Levi's shoulder. I'm sure it was a ridiculous picture, but I wasn't in the frame of mind to really care. I really just wanted to keep dancing.

We made our way up the stairs and down the hallway. Xavier was in front and opened the door to the street with Levi and I right behind him as he walked out the door. Two wolves jumped at us from the side of the door and Levi fell back out of the way while Xavier blocked them.

I squealed as the pavement rose up to meet me, but Levi managed to catch his balance in time and get us back inside. He easily lifted me from his shoulder and set me carefully on my feet. "Stay here, Cecilia," he warned me. Then he turned and went right back out the door, letting it slam shut again behind him.

The growls and snarls from the wolves were immediate and I rushed to the door. I should be out there helping them. I knew I couldn't take the wolves down on my own, but I had been training in self-defense since I was little. I could help! And I should be helping! Those wolves were after me and I shouldn't be sitting inside like a baby while Xavier and Levi were fighting my battles for me.

As I tried to grab the doorknob, I was momentarily distracted by the sight of three of them. Deciding to just try the middle one, I was beyond aggravated when my hand passed straight through it. I stomped my foot and growled in aggravation as the other two doorknobs seemed as insubstantial as the first one.

I decided to just wave my hand around and see if I could find the real doorknob, but before I could try, the door was swinging open again. I jumped back with a startled yelp and would've fallen right on my butt if Levi had lunged forward and caught me.

He pulled me back up in his arms, forgoing the over the shoulder treatment this time, instead carrying me in a bridal lift. Maybe there was a real doorknob on his side of the door.

"Let's get you home, Ceci," Levi told me as he headed back out the door.

I looked back over his shoulder, trying to see if there was a doorknob on the outside. I mean, there had to be. He'd gotten back inside with me. "Did you know there's three fake doorknobs on that door?" I asked him as I returned my attention back to him. "And not a single real one!"

Levi chucked as he placed me easily in the car that I hadn't realized we'd reached already. "That's very strange," he replied. "Stay safe. I hope to see you again soon." He dropped a kiss on my forehead and then closed the door, tapping the top of the car to let Xavier know that we were ready to go.

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