"Alright, why didn't you tell me you had a date planned with Evan?"

"I didn't think it was a date," Vicki said.

"You didn't think going out with a guy and having dinner was a date? And on a full moon? Gods, what kind of standards do you have?"

"It's not like it's the first time we've had dinner," Vicki grumbled.

"Okay, now you're just being stubborn or just using this guy for his money and his bed. Which is it?"

"Didn't you lecture me enough about this earlier?"

Selene shook her head. "Come on, we're going to go grab some things for tomorrow."

"I can't leave the store."

Selene frowned so stiffly Vicki thought she might crack in half.

"You're all sold out anyway! COME ON."

Vicki had no choice but to succumb to Selene's demands. There wasn't much to be done though, since Elara, even with an even spread of mortals and underdwellers, had the majority of business closed at this time of night. All that was open at 3 am were clubs, bars, and the grocery store on the north side of town.

Vicki's charm bracelet clanked against Selene's giving a musical ring to their long walk. When they arrived at the store, Selene grabbed a shopping cart.

"What do we need that for?" Vicki asked.

"If you think I'm going to fix you up for your date without snacks, you've got another thing coming."

"It's not a..."

Selene sped off with the cart before Vicki could finish. She caught back up with her near the bulk candy, filling a plastic bag with strips of red candy coated in sugar. Selene handed the bag to Vicki while she wrote '2219' on a twist tie. Then, Selene grabbed and filled more and more bags. They were horrible candy fiends, addicted really, and any excuse to come to this particular store was good enough for Vicki especially since she had some profit to spare for sugar.

Vicki looked around the store as Selene loaded up on more candy. She could see a good portion of the meat counter, produce, and even the entrance from where they were standing. Two young familiar underdwellers walked inside, holding a small basket between them. Vicki recognized them as the twins that had been at her store the night before.

She wondered if she should say hi, but as she was thinking this, she noticed that as the twins came around a bin of freshly stocked apples, a few of the underdwellers in their vicinity began to violently cough and hurry away. Some passed Vicki as they ran off, and she could see their faces were either pale or a sickly green color.

Is that what her magic did to underdwellers? She never wore her charms anywhere but outside. Even now, it and Selene's were tucked away into their respective vials. She always included vials that would block the magic with any purchase in her store, as well as a note to only wear as absolutely necessary.

She thought it would be enough.

But she didn't leave the store much, and she had few customers before who weren't Selene's friends.

"Alright, I think that's enough candy. What do you think?"

Vicki was still staring at the empty produce section.

"Vicki? Something wrong?"

"Those two. They're wearing their charms."

Selene looked over at the twins.

"Why? This isn't a hundred years ago, no one hunts in supermarkets anymore." She shrugged her shoulders. "Stupid kids, they even have me itching. Oh well, come on, let's keep moving."

Vicki couldn't help but be troubled as they walked through the store. Selene set a box of spiked seltzers in the cart. Vicki added a bag of chocolate donuts. That was about as much as they thought they would be able to comfortably carry, so they headed to the front to check out. While waiting, the twins showed up and got into a line beside theirs. Some underdwellers ditched their carts, and some of the cashiers looked nauseous as they scanned over items.

But the twins must've had a good reason not to heed Vicki's warning. They had to. Yes, some people would feel sick, but it wouldn't last long. Just until they left. Their safety was worth a slight discomfort, right?

It was then that Vicki noticed the entry doors slide open and the vampire walk through them with a red shopping basket in his hands. He looked over and gave her the slightest of waves before heading towards the produce section.

Vicki's attention was brought back to the register as the cashier broke into a fit of coughing. The poor woman was an elderly underdweller, of what species she couldn't tell. The cashier leaned forward, bracing herself against the small screen that showed their shopping total. Vicki pulled out a tissue from her purse and held it out to her.

"I'm so sorry," Vicki said.

She felt guilty. The vampire was right, those books were right. Her magic was a curse and she was ignorant to think otherwise. This same magic could be used to hurt Selene or the vampire, and for doing nothing more than buying groceries. She wanted everyone to be safe, but that didn't mean she wanted anyone to get hurt. And right now, she really wanted this woman to be okay and safe from her own magic.

The woman gratefully took the tissue, and when she brought it to her mouth, the fit stopped. The twins checked out and then left. Vicki paid for the snacks, she and Selene bagged them, and they began the walk back to the store.

"What kind of magic did you use back there, Vi?"

"Magic?"

Selene nodded over the bag in her arms.

"I saw your eyes go purple for a second. Right as you were handing over that hankie to the old lady."

Vicki shrugged. "I didn't realize."

Selene shrugged back in return and they continued their walk.

Why didn't she realize when she used her magic? What had she done anyway? Vicki wished she had been taught more about herself. She had no idea the extent of her magic, though she knew scents were her specialty. She needed to figure out the limits of that magic though, and to see if she could affect its potency intentionally.

If she were going to sell her products to the masses, she was going to need some extensive product testing to make sure they were safe.

"Hey Selene?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd really appreciate it if you could curl my hair tomorrow, you know, the wonky pieces that don't twirl all the way? I want my hair to be perfect."

"Sure, but I'll have to go to my place and get my tools later."

"Why not go now? I can meet you at the store a couple of hours after sundown, is that okay?"

Selene slowed.

"You're going to be okay on your own?"

"Of course. You saw how powerful my magic was back there. I can keep ten packs away if I have to."

Selene paused for a moment then nodded.

"Alright, but I'm taking my snacks with me, I know how little control you have."

They split their bounty and went their separate ways. When Vicki was sure her friend wouldn't turn back, she walked back down the street.

It took twenty minutes for the vampire to show up to his apartment. Vicki had already made herself comfortable outside of his door and had dug into her bag of mini donuts.

"I thought you were...oh never mind," he said, then quickly unlocked the door. "Come on in."

"Need any help with those?" she asked, motioning to the bags in his hands. He pulled them back.

"No, I got it. Thank you though."

Vicki made herself comfortable on his couch. She was going to have to find some way to ask this without coming off like a weirdo.

Yeah, like she could figure that one out, so she decided to rip off the band-aid instead.

"Can you help me with something?" she asked from his couch.

"Of course, is it the store?"

She nodded. "A little."

"I'll help with whatever you need."

She was surprised at his enthusiasm, he had no idea what she was going to propose, but it didn't seem like there was anything she could ask that he wouldn't do. He came out of the kitchen and handed her a bottle of water. How did he know she got thirsty when she was nervous? She cracked the seal on the water and took an encouraging sip.

"I need your help to control my magic," she blurted out.

"Oh. I um, well, I'm talented at many things, but I'm pretty clueless when it comes to magic."

"I'm not really looking for advice, just someone to test its potency"

"You want me to be your guinea pig?"

She sat back on the couch. "I wouldn't put it that way."

"You're asking to poison me, right?"

"Well..."

"And as a favor?"

She put her head down. "Yes."

"Do I have a say in how I'm poisoned?"

She looked back up at him. His face was completely neutral, still warm, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking behind his dark eyes.

"Sure, that sounds fair."

He took a deep breath and waved his hand. "Then proceed."

She pulled out a vial she had tucked away in her coat and went into the kitchen. There wasn't a caldron here, but she was able to find a small pot in one of the cabinets. The vampire had more cooking gear than she would have thought for an underdweller who drank mostly blood.

"Do you do a lot of cooking?" she asked loud enough to carry into the living area.

"Not much, but some," he yelled back.

Vicki smiled into the pot as she filled it with water. She'd probably never figure that vampire out. He didn't put up much resistance to her proposal, even though he had said he didn't trust her only a few days ago. Vicki poured some of the potion into the pot of water and chanted over it. The water would dilute the potion only so much, she would have to control her magic in order to make a noticeable difference. It wasn't like she had ever tried to use her magic in this way before, but she hoped with enough practice, maybe she could learn. And with a pureblood vampire to test on, she would find a level just potent enough to deter underdwellers without hurting them.

She dipped a vial into the pot and took it over to the living area where she left her purse. She sat beside the vampire on the couch.

"Done already?" he asked her.

"It's not too hard to do such a small batch," she said as she pulled a scentless incense stick from her purse.

"Hold on," the vampire said. She looked up. "You said I would get to pick how I would be poisoned."

"This should be really diluted, I don't think it'll go through your skin. So it won't leave a scar, promise. Just point to wherever you don't mind being poked."

Apparently, her words didn't matter much, because the vampire still leaned forward, took the stick from her, and dropped it back in her purse.

"I still get to choose."

Vicki shivered as his hand came to her chin. She could feel his strength and warmth radiate from his fingers as they cradled her cheek.

"Your lips look much softer and a lot less dangerous than some stick."

She felt her cheeks burn under his hands. The more they found themselves in these positions, the harder it was becoming to pull herself away. Selene was right earlier, she had been developing feelings for the vampire. She just wasn't sure if his feelings were infatuation or hunger.

"What are you saying, Evan?"

The corner of his mouth twitched upward.

"I'm saying, if it's up to me, I'd prefer that you smear whatever you have in that jar on your lips and kiss me," he released her chin and slowly pulled back. "But if you don't think it'll work, do whatever you think is best."

Her breath caught in her throat. She could go with her original plan, tell him that she wouldn't get a good sense of her magic's strength otherwise, but it wouldn't be true. She bit her lip and opened the vial in her hands. The potion was slick against her lips and smelled so faintly of garlic that she could hardly identify it. The vampire watched her as she applied the magic like lip balm, his eyes slightly wide, with what? Regret, anticipation, surprise? She couldn't tell, and she didn't want to.

"Okay," she said. "Ready?"

His voice was low when he answered. "Yeah."

He leaned forward, and Vicki suddenly felt so self-conscious that she shut her eyes when she leaned forward to meet him. Her lips met his slightly stubbled cheek. She quickly pulled back. Did she miss? Was she aiming for his mouth? He never said anything about kissing him on the lips, did he?

Oh gods. Maybe he really was just worried about being stabbed and not actually looking for an excuse to kiss her.

"That tingles," he said, shifting his jaw.

She stood up. "I'll get you a wet napkin to wipe it off and start on the next test batch."

After she handed him the napkin, she hurried back to the kitchen and away from his gaze. Why did she come here for this? She should have just asked Selene. In another five minutes, the next potion was ready, and Vicki took it to the vampire. This time she would not embarrass herself. She reapplied the magic to her lips and looked to the vampire.

"Where do you want it this time?" she asked.

The vampire paused for a long moment and rested his head on his hand.

"Are you looking for a more exotic location?" he said with a smirk.

She crossed her arms. "I'm just keeping my word. It's your choice, remember?"

"My choice," he mumbled, taking her by the chin again. "If only that were true."

Vicki was frozen in his grasp as he leaned forward and pressed his forehead to her lips. So it was him that moved. He didn't want to kiss her, not really. That hurt more than she expected it to.

"That wasn't much different from the first."

She nodded and hurried back to the kitchen. The vampire followed.

"Something wrong, Vicki?"

She continued working on the new potion.

"I'm fine, just busy."

"What's making you do this anyway?"

At least she could use the situation at the grocery store to avoid thinking about her feelings. She told him about the twins and how her magic affected the store.

"I have to figure this out before I can start selling again," she said, then spoke a quick incantation over the pot. The vampire crossed the island to stand next to her.

"I didn't make you feel responsible for this, did I?"

When she glanced up, she was met with his furrowed brow and sad eyes.

"I'm sorry Vicki, none of this is your fault, you can't help if some idiots don't follow instructions."

"But it is my fault. Innocent underdwellers are having a hard time because of me. It's like I've turned the clock back on mortal and dweller relations a hundred years," she wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the counter to keep from crumbling to the floor.

The vampire went to the stove, picked up a fresh vial, and removed the cork stopper. He dipped it into the new potion, then swept it across her lips in a featherlight motion.

"Your mistake, if you want to call it that, is nothing compared to the ones others have made; but, if you want to do this, I'll help you any way I can."

Vicki cupped the vampire's hand as it covered her cheek. The strong lengths of his fingers brushed her hair behind her ears before she leaned into him, and her lips met his. The vampires she read about were always called the undead, and even if they were described as muscular or well-endowed, none of the stories ever came close to portraying a vampire like the one who was kissing her.

His lips were warm and soft, infused with life and a gentleness she wanted to hold onto. She had no idea how old he was, but the kiss felt almost nostalgic. Like young love, unsure, unpredictable, scary, and beautiful. He swiped his thumb over her cheek before pulling back.

"That was a little stronger," he said quietly while tugging his fingers through his hair.

Vicki could see it now. He was nervous.

"How much stronger do you think it'd have to be to stop an underdweller from touching someone but not hurt them otherwise?"

"Hard to say, but I'm willing to keep testing until we find out."

An hour into the testing, Vicki's lips were numb and so were the vampires. She came out of the kitchen with another vial in her hands. The vampire was lying over the couch, looking a bit fatigued. He didn't open his eyes when she stepped beside him.

"Think you have it this time?" he asked.

"I hope so," she said. It had been a long night, and she was starting to feel really crappy about exposing him to garlic over and over even if the kisses were nice, as PG as they had been.

The vampire sat up.

"You hope so?"

"Yeah. This will be the last test of the night."

She sat beside him and applied the magic to her lip. Once the vial was sealed, the vampire eased towards her slowly. But this time he didn't kiss her, he just continued to move his body closer and closer to her. She backed away, wondering what he was doing. Her back was against the armrest and the vampire had her body caged under his.

"So, we need to find out if this potion will keep a hungry underdweller at bay, right?"

"Yeah," she said breathlessly. His face was level with her neck now, but he still wasn't touching her. Vicki's heart thumped against her chest even though she knew the vampire wouldn't hurt her or do anything without her permission. "But you've eaten recently, haven't you?"

"There is more than one type of hunger," he whispered against her skin. "And I think my appetite has only grown since you've been here."

"What do you—"

The vampire brought his lips down on hers, trapping her words in her throat. She sighed, and the vampire prodded the small opening with his tongue. Vicki allowed it, dropping her swollen bottom lip just enough to let his warm tongue in and meet hers. Their lips slid against each other slowly as the vampire tangled his fingers into her hair.

She couldn't bring herself to force him away this time. She realized she wanted this three potions ago, or at least her body did. Her mind was in a frenzy, panicking even as she enjoyed his prodding tongue and gentle fingers. She forced her tongue past his lips and stroked the point of his fangs.

He pulled back, leaving her a heady limp pile of bones against the couch.

"Just a tad more and it'll work fine," he said, then rushed towards the stairs. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I'll clean up. Just get some rest."

"Wait!" she shouted from the base of the stairs.

He paused but didn't turn to look at her. She climbed the stairs and met him at the landing.

"One more test," she said.

"I think I've been poisoned enough, don't you?"

She stepped in front of him.

"You said you would help. And no, garlic is not involved this time."

"Good, that last test burned a bit."

"Great, then you should be able to tell if this helps," she said as she stepped forward and planted a gentle, barely-there kiss on his lips. "How did that feel?"

He brushed his fingers against his lips.

"It's just a tingle now, how did you do that?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Magic is all about intent, I guess I had to relearn what that really means. Thank you for the help."

"No problem. I'm, uh, going to shower. You should get some sleep."

"Okay, goodnight."

She stayed awake even after she heard the water turn on in his bathroom, but by the time he was finished, she had fallen asleep.

Sunset was only an hour and a half ended when Vicki left her cramped shower stall and joined up with Selene at the table in her apartment. Selene had an assortment of tools laid out, preheated curling irons, makeup brushes, and a ridiculous amount of candy with cans of seltzer to wash it all down.

Tonight was the night. She was going to keep her promise and go out with the vampire.

"You made sure to clean up your lady bits, right?"

Vicki groaned to avoid confirming the fact to her friend. Sex was not part of the agenda for tonight. Just dinner and a visit to the garden.

At least, that's what she told herself. But she had told herself before not to kiss him and her body didn't listen, the last thing she needed was for it to go rogue again and leave her unprepared.

"Bet you found all sorts of cobwebs in there. Well, I did you a favor and packed your overnight bag for you, don't forget it."

"Oh gods, what did you put in there?"

"Only what you would need, now sit down and let me give you a makeover!"

Vicki put up her hands. "I don't want a whole makeover, Selene, I want to look like...me."

A smile spread over Selene's face, "good idea."

Vicky spent the next hour getting dolled up by Selene's expert hands. Her natural waves and curls were polished and pinned to one side except for a few strands that framed her face. Her makeup was nearly undetectable but applied in such a way that her features stood out and her skin glowed.

"Alright," Selene said, moving towards her closet. "Now for the perfect outfit." After rummaging through the space, Selene pulled out a covered hanger.

"What is this?" she asked.

Vicki had almost forgotten about that. She tucked it far back in the closet after the vampire had gifted it to her. Selene unsheathed the dress and gasped when she saw it.

"This is perfect!"

"No, I can't wear that," Vicki said. Maybe she was being too stubborn about using his 'gifts'.

"Vicki. You said you wanted to look like yourself. Well, the black dresses in your closet are not you. This is. Why don't you want to wear it?"

She couldn't tell her that it was a bribe from the vampire. Hell, she might even be wrong about that. He never meant any of his gifts to be bribes, and he proved that by not giving her anything else after she told him.

"It just seems a little cold out," she said finally.

She was not wrong. When she stepped out into the night air she had to tuck her hands into her dress pockets. She locked the door behind her and then picked up her overnight bag.

"Hey, Vicki."

Vicki took a step back. It was Carter, dressed like he was heading to one of the many parties happening that night.

"Hi. Sorry, the shop's closed tonight."

He laughed.

"I came here to see if you had plans, not to buy anything."

That wasn't surprising. He never bought anything from her store.

"Well, I do. Now, if you'll excuse me." She turned on her heel and pulled the strap of her bag onto her shoulder.

"Vicki, wait, I'm sorry about the other night."

She froze.

"You are?"

"Yeah. I shouldn't have let you go along with whoever that guy was. You know how dangerous it is for you out here."

She turned around.

"His name is Evan and it's only dangerous because of people like you," she said.

He scoffed. "'People like me'? Really? You're going to judge me now? You don't know what it's like. You're hardly an underdweller, you don't get hungry like us. Your friend isn't any better. What the hell is he, anyway?"

Vicki's face felt hot. This jerk didn't think what he did was wrong, that feeding on her without her consent was wrong. The vampire, Evan, wouldn't do that, even with all the opportunity in the world. There was no way the skid mark of an underdweller in front of her would have done the same.

"Evan is better. In every possible way. Unlike you, his nature just makes him a better person. He doesn't use it as an excuse to take advantage of someone."

She turned around.

"I'm done with you. Utterly and completely. Have a nice life."

And with that, she left him behind and headed for the park to wait for Evan.