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Scarlet pulled Vincent through the dancing bodies to the bar.

"Bloody Black Russian!" she shouted over the throbbing bass and pounding drumbeat of the music. "Make it two!"

The bartender's eyes widened, but he quickly made up the drinks, mixing vodka and Kahlua, pouring over frozen black cherries instead of ice, in tall glasses.

"You might find some friends over there," he gestured to a corner booth deep in the shadows as he passed them their order.

"Thank you, darling." Scarlet pulled a $100 bill out of her bodice and tipped the man. Then she took her drink in one hand and Vincent in the other and dragged him into the shadows.

Scarlet inhaled deeply--and caught the scent of only humans in the corner. She approached the table and smiled. There was a man and woman who were obviously the controlling couple. Both were dressed in designer clothing. She had heavy black makeup and his hair and goatee were perfectly groomed. They looked old-world and gothic, but Scarlet could tell it was only a game to them. The man held a girl in a lolita-maid dress on his lap and the woman tightly held the leash of an emo-looking boy in leather pants and a white mesh tank top.

"Mind if we crash your party?" Scarlet asked, brandishing her drink and flashing her fangs.

Everyone's eyes widened. The man stood up so quickly that the girl on his lap just fell on the floor.

"Please, join us," he invited. "I am Gerome, and this is my mistress Tabitha." He gestured to the woman.

"Scarlet," Scarlet introduced herself, brushing close to the man an inhaling his fresh and healthy scent. She scooted into the booth and lounged as if she owned the place. "And my consort Vincent. Thank you for your hospitality."

Scarlet caressed Vincent's cheek affectionately. "I know, darling." She turned to their hosts and smiled. "Do you know where we can get a real drink? It's been a long day for us."

Gerome brandished his maid-pet. "You can have all you want from her!" he volunteered.

Scarlet understood the domineering way some masters dealt with their pets, but blood was something special, and she didn't like it being treated like leftover pie in the fridge. She beckoned the maid close, and the girl obediently knelt in front of her.

"Child," Scarlet murmured so only the maid could hear, "Do you freely give of your life force to sustain my consort?"

The maid trembled with fear. "I...my master says..."

That was obviously a "no."

"She won't do," Scarlet declared grandly. Then she locked eyes with Gerome. "But you are stronger. Care to be sampled?"

Gerome almost fell out of his chair to get close to the two vampires. Scarlet drew him close and sat him between her and Vincent.

"Rules of engagement, darling," Scarlet instructed her new protoge, as she unbuttoned Gerome's shirt and exposed his neck and shoulder. "First, consenting blood whenever possible. Calm, willing, even aroused victims make for the most satisfying feeding. Fear and aggression are chemical reactions, and by ingesting that, we make ourselves vulnerable. It's also easier to control the feeding when you are not influenced that way. Second, never drain more than a liter from your donor and never drink dead blood. It is their life force that sustains us, and drinking them to death--or worse drinking the dead--is never ever a wise idea. Now for your first time, bite the muscle. It's harder to draw the blood out, but you are less likely to kill him."

"Good, good," Scarlet encouraged him. "You picked the right time to pull away."

She picked up a few of the cocktail napkins and pressed them on the bite. Gerome looked a little woozy.

"Go home," Scarlet ordered in a soft but compelling voice. Then she locked eyes with Tabitha. "Care for an encounter with the real thing?"

Tabitha nodded and took Gerome's place between the two vampires as he stumbled out of the bar, looking like a drunk. Tabitha was wearing a corset much like Scarlet's, which left her shoulders bare.

"Care for another drink, darling?" Scarlet invited Vincent.

Scarlet watched him, her eyes wary. She quickly bit Tabitha and fed so that she would have enough blood to provide for Vincent in an emergency. It took only a few moments, and then she sent the woman home as well. Scarlet followed Vincent to the bar. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Talk to me, my lovely," she murmured in his ear.

"You need a drink," Scarlet corrected him. "But perhaps not here." She led him through the crowds and out the back door. In the alley, she hugged him close and pulled his head to her neck. "I can give far more than a human. And if I happen to collapse, bring one of the pets Gerome and Tabitha so inconsiderately left behind. I'll be fine. Drink, and be sated, darling."

"If you don't drink soon, you will lose control. Besides," she added with a teasing smile. "I'm a 200 year old cougar. Do you really think you can hurt me?"

"Darling? Vincent?" Scarlet called, all alarmed at the pained expression in his face. She sliced her own wrist with one fingernail and pushed the bloody wound to his lips. "Drink, you idiot, before something awful happens."