Squeezing through the tightly packed area, Lyla struggled to keep up with Lennon. She had no idea where Adley was, which was surprising considering she believed he'd tower over everyone in the club.

She looked over the area, watching as the patrons danced. Searching for Adley was pointless when the crowd never stopped moving. Lyla didn't even know if he was in there. He could be off to the side where it was dark. He might be ahead of them where it was a room beyond a guarded archway.

The entire area was bathed in a dull blue light periodically broken with a strobing white light. When the song ended, the whole room went dark. Cheers rang out when the lights went back on as the next song started.

Weaving through the crowd, Lyla finally caught up to Lennon, but that was only because he'd stopped. Lennon was talking to the bouncer that stood by the archway. His posting was to watch over the plush red rope.

There was no list to get onto. No bribe could be paid. What lay beyond the arch was not for everyone, but somehow Lyla knew that she'd be walking beyond the rope tonight.

She stopped, glancing up at the bouncer that could match Adley for height and stature. Lyla mindlessly wondered if he was a werewolf too. Though, she could hear the words he spoke to Lennon, so maybe not.

Lyla tuned out, not interested in listening to the results from the latest baseball game. Her gaze went beyond the bouncer to the long wall that was nothing but smoky black glass. Clearly, those on the other side of the wall watched the people that danced out here.

On the far side of the room was a bar that ran the entire length of the wall. Hanging from the roof was a swing with a woman sitting on it. She swung back and forth in her glittery outfit, sometimes hanging from her knees, sometimes sitting on the pole. Lyla frowned, thinking that it would not be comfortable to do that for too long.

Her gaze lifted to the ceiling; it was filled with mirrors. It was like an odd view of people dancing, almost like looking into another dimension.

Feeling something brush against her back, Lyla turned to see that Lennon had shifted aside to let a small group of people out of the area.

"That's us,"

Lennon flicked his head as he walked through the arch. Lyla quickly followed, giving the bouncer an uneasy smile. He stared but gave a firm nod in response.

The mood beyond the arch was considerably more relaxed. A heavy pulse from the beat of the music still resonated through the wall of glass, but it was reasonably quiet. Enough that Lyla could hear the whispered words of those that she walked past. They watched with smiles on their faces, hungry smiles. Shifting closer to Lennon, she pulled on the sleeve of his jacket.

"Are they,"

Lennon turned back to look at her, glancing at the vampires that watched on.

"Yeah, probably. Don't dawdle, or you'll regret it."

There was no way that Lyla wanted to be a vampire's dinner so, she kept close to Lennon. When they reached the end of the room, Lyla frowned until she saw an alcove that hid another area. They went down the stairs to a corridor that was harsh with its industrial lights and large cinder block walls.

Passing doors that were closed, Lyla wondered if she was in over her head. Anything or anyone could be behind the doors. It could lead to a world of trouble, and she was just inches from so many possibilities. She looked at a notice board, her gaze slowly turned and realised that one door was open and she was being watched by the workers inside the break room.

Lyla wanted to know if everyone in this place was a vampire or only a few. She wanted to know if it was just the workers or did humans brave this world. Where were they going? Would this path lead her to Eloise, or would it be a wrong turn?

Yet, it wasn't the question that she asked when Lyla finally caught up to the vampire.

"Where's Adley?"

Lennon shrugged as he stopped at the door. The last door at the end of the corridor. Lyla looked back and realised that the workers in the break room had moved to the doorway to watch her.

"Why do they need to watch me? All the vampires watch me."

"That's because you're delicious." Lennon returned with a mocking tone.

"Can you not be gross?"

"Can you not be naïve?"

Lyla scoffed, rolling her eyes. Following Lennon through the door, Lyla's eyes widened at the grand room beyond the pitted and peeling door. Rich red walls that looked as if they were marbled with black lines. Every so often, a black pillar intersected the space. High gloss black tiles and even the ceiling above them was overdone. It looked like the same smoky black glass that was used in the club.

It seemed to shrink the space, closing in on Lyla. There was a lot of warmth to the area, but it just seemed too small for her. At the end of the short corridor was another guard. He stood over a door that was painted in gold. Lyla narrowed her eyes at the entire area, thinking that gaudy was a good way to describe it.

"Evening Len, boss man's just finishing up with someone. You and your friend can wait in the sitting room."

"Sure thing."

Lennon turned to a door; this one was glossy like the gold door, but it was done in black.

"How's the transplant going?" he asked as he opened the door.

With a frown and a nod, Lennon wordlessly told Lyla to walk into the room.

"Good, good. Taking it easy, breaking them in. Wouldn't recommend it, though."

Lennon huffed softly, barely a laugh.

"I'll remember that."

He closed the door and gestured to the lounge.

"Take a seat."

With a heavy sigh, Lennon sat down in the large leather lounge. Lyla sat on the same lounge as him, fearing that someone else might walk in here to wait as well.

It was a room that looked similar to the one behind the glass wall in the club. Filled with chairs, it felt like a waiting room with a dark ambience. On the table beside her seat was a stack of magazines. She flicked through them, seeing a variety of cars, sports, nature. There were several different types of women's magazines, gossip and celebrity trash mags as well.

Lyla lost interest quickly. Turning back to Lennon, she wondered what was wrong with the doorman.

"Is he okay?"

"Who?"

"That guy. You said something about a transplant."

"Oh," Lennon said low. "It's uh, a bit complicated, actually. Chad ended up on the wrong side of town a few months ago. Rival vamps took offence to it and pulled his fangs, dumped him on the doorstep. Boss man paid for some new fangs."

"Don't you feed through the fangs, though?"

"Yeah," Lennon sighed.

Life would not be the same, but it was not a death sentence for a vampire.