Nixon's is a usually crowded place, bustling with jostling bodies dancing to the upbeat music blasting through the huge speakers placed strategically on the dance floor.

The lights from the dance floor bathe the whole place in hues of blue, red and green. Sweaty bodies grind against each other, the heartbreakers work their charms in the private lounges and the heartbroken weep over the bar counter with the bartender refilling their empty glasses, allowing them to drown deeper in their sorrows.

If you travel a floor below, you enter the 'restricted' zone of the club. A door to the left of the stairs leads you into a long hallway, bearing doors to locked rooms on both sides for its entire length.

All the rooms are the same from the inside - A coffee table with two armchairs, a door leading to a small bathroom, a few books. A single bed inhabiting a Helper with saline solution flowing into their veins from one hand while the other hand rests immobile on the side. The neck usually sports bite marks with dark red bloodstains painting the surrounding skin, a stark contrast to the pale white walls.

At the end of the hallway, sits an administrating desk, with an assistant ready to help you and simultaneously log in the entries. To the right of the desk is a waiting lounge, hidden from the sight of the hallway. Behind the desk, is another door opening to a narrow staircase leading you out of the building and into a secluded alleyway. All the while, the upper floor blissfully enjoys their time, dancing and drinking, unaware of the dark secrets of the night taking place just a few metres below their feet.

Tonight, though, there is no music. There are no sweaty bodies intermingling. There are no bartenders tending to heartbroken customers nor are there any heartbreakers with their sultry smiles and seductive smirks. The light bounces off the walls, a pin-drop silence shrouding the empty room. Lamps and barstools are strewn across the floor, glass shards from the bar accompanying them.

As soon as I step inside the club, an unnerving feeling settles in the pit of my stomach but I pay no heed to it. The inside of my left wrist starts itching and I scratch it with my black-painted nails. Picking up the faint sounds of commotion from downstairs, Luca and Rayne's faces match the vigilant look on my own.

"Ava?" I call out, hoping my sound carries to her. "Nixon?"

Getting no answer, I tread softly down the stairs and call out her name again. The itching on my wrist increases the closer I get to the last stair. The unnerving feeling inside me intensifies and I will my eyes to turn into their predatory form, allowing me better eyesight in the dark. Luca and Rayne follow me, and soon we reach the door. With one last look at my friends, I turn the doorknob and let the door swing open.

The hallway is a mess, with splashes of blood coating the walls in random places and a few bodies sprawled on the floor. As I step over the first body, a man seemingly in his late twenties, I notice his legs bent at a weird angle and his neck all but chewed off, clearly bitten by a Vampire.

"Look at what he's holding," Rayne hisses in distaste. My eyes travel over the man's body and halt on his right hand, which is holding a wooden crossbow. A Hunter.

"Looks like we've got some Hunters to take care of," Luca grins, his fangs elongating and eyes turning red.

"We have to find Ava." I move forward, navigating my way through the barely alive bodies. The smell of blood floats in the air, accompanying the blotches of blood staining random parts of the hallway. I feel my feral instincts fighting to take over and my fangs elongate. The itching on my wrist turns into a subtle burning sensation. The more we walk ahead, the more the sounds of a fight intensify.

The three of us turn the corner at the end of the hallway and enter the waiting lounge. If we thought the hallway was bad, then this is worse.

Chaos. Utter chaos.

There are numerous bodies fighting each other and the sounds of gunshots fill the room. Vampires wrestle Hunters, trying to kill the other, pure hatred on their faces. My eyes frantically search for Ava and I finally find her at the far end of the room, with her fangs piercing into a Hunter's neck. The Hunter lets out a shriek and manages to lodge a stake in her side, dangerously close to her heart.

"Fucking bastard," I growl. Before I know it, I am in front of him, snapping his neck. His body goes limp and I throw him to the floor. He lands with a thud. I sneer at his body on last time before diverting my attention to Ava.

"Are you alright?" I ask her, crouching down to where she is sitting against the wall. She tries to move and winces, cursing under her breath.

"I'll be okay," Ava grunts out in her thick English accent. "I just need to get out of here."

"Be careful, the stake might've grazed the heart," I warn her and inspect her side. Yes, definitely a graze, nothing serious. I notice a Hunter walking towards us, hidden behind the tall but fake potted plants, his crossbow in position. I swiftly remove the stake from Ava's side and throw it in his direction, impaling him in the neck instantly.

"Give me a minute," I say and stand up, coming face to face with another Hunter.

He lunges on me, his right hand that is holding the stake outstretched. I block his hand and punch him in the guts, getting an 'oomph' sound from him. Smirking, I catch hold of his right forearm by the wrist and I twist it painfully, forcing him to drop his stake. His other hand reaches out and grabs my hair, pulling at it. I sneer and sweep my leg in front of me; it hits the Hunter's ankles and making him lose his footing. He falls on his back, defenseless. Wasting no time, I grab his stake and pierce it straight through his heart, blood splattering my face in the process. Wiping the blood off, I look at Ava.

"Let's get out of here," I say and Ava nods. I help her up and both of us speed out of the bloody room and manage to find a seemingly untouched Helpers' room.

"Your vicious fighting skills never fail to amaze me," Ava laughs and I give her a wink. The subtle burning sensation on my wrist intensifies to the point where I feel as if it has caught on fire.

"Shit," I hiss out and screw my eyes shut.

"What's wrong?" Ava asks, grabbing my other hand.

"It's my wrist," I say. "Ever since I got here, it has been itching and burning."

"Your wrist?" Ava asks, confused. I nod and hold it out to her. She inspects it before looking at me with wide eyes.

"What?" I ask, unsettled by her look.

"Zoe, it's your left wrist," she says slowly, as if implying something. "Do you think it could be...?"

"No!" I shake my head frantically, catching on to her train of thoughts. "I don't want one and you know that."

"The signs are clear as day, Zoe," Ava continues, stepping closer to me, her voice low. "Remember how Rayne explained it to me? It seems like you are going through the same thing."

"We are not going to talk about this in the middle of a blood-fight," I give her a pointed look. She lets out a sighs and nods. "Let's go take care of the mess outside before Raphael puts our heads on pikes."

We step out into the chaos yet again, though it looks as if the Vamps have the upper hand. I rub my burning skin and start walking down the hallway.

"Hey, Adam," Ava stops a tall buffed up person walking past us.

"Yes, Ava?" he asks, smiling down at her.

"How are you guys handling the situation? We have been summoned by Raphael as soon as the situation is in control." She twirls her hair around her finger and her lips form a small pout.

"Don't worry, we'll wrap this up. You guys can go ahead and see what Raphael wants of you," Adam reassures her, smiling and putting a hand on her waist.

"Thank you so much!" Ava smiles and blows him a kiss before pulling me away along with her. I look back at him and find his eyes fixed on her retreating figure, a half-smile on his face.

"Have you been sleeping with him?" I laugh, giving her a disbelieving look.

"Technically speaking, I gave up the luxury of sleeping thirty two years ago. Do I need to remind you?" She winks and that is all the answer I need.

"At least you are enjoying yourself," I snort.

We enter the messy waiting room again, fending off Hunters until we reach Luca and Rayne, who are fighting with their backs against each other's. A good strategy, leaving no side unprotected.

"Come on guys, we can leave now. Let the others handle it," I tell them, punching a Hunter creeping up on me square in the face a second after. "We've still got that meeting with Raphael."

"Yeah alright," Luca replies, relaxing his stance and pushing his hair back.

"I see you found Ava," Rayne smiles before noticing a Hunter aiming her crossbow at Luca. Letting out a snarl, she materializes in front of the Hunter in a second, knocking her unconscious. Luca ushers us to the back of the reception desk, right in front of the exit door and Rayne joins us.

I look back, noticing a small group of Hunters armed with wooden stakes emerging from the main staircase, and a sudden shooting pain erupts in my wrist. I gasp and screw my eyes shut shortly, the burning sensation becoming unbearable. The sounds around me become fuzzy and I feel strong arms grasping my shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Luca's voice asks in the background and Ava explains to him briefly about the pain on the inside of my wrist.

"Is it..." Luca trails off and I force my eyes open. He looks at me with calculating eyes. His eyes then flutter down to the inside of his own left wrist, which is marked with black ink, a swirling pattern.

"Bloody hell," Rayne chimes in, catching on. The skin on her wrist sports the same swirling blank ink as Luca, the pattern unique to only both of them - the proof of them being mates.

"Let's get out of here," I state and Luca pushes open the door. Rayne and Ava follow him out. Just as I am about to exit, I look back one last time and my eyes meet icy blue ones across the room, near the entrance of the hallway. All of a sudden, the burning pain on my wrist subsides and gives way to a cool tingling sensation.

A mask and forehead shrouded with dark brown, almost black, hair, covers the face of the man owning the icy blue depths. Those cold eyes flit down to something and then back to me, startled. My own eyes repeat the actions and halt on his hand gripping a wooden stake. More shockingly, the wrist further above has blank ink materializing on it, settling into a distinctively intricate swirling pattern.

Looking at my own wrist, I am baffled to find the same pattern settling on my own skin. How could this be happening is beyond my understanding, knowing well that you only mate with your own kind. Looking back up, his striking eyes are now emotionless. The hand that was earlier holding a stake is now holding a gun, surely loaded with wooden bullets, pointing it directly at me. His stare bores into me and I take a step forward, making his grip on the gun tighten. Maybe this is a misunderstanding, a cruel joke. Deciding to have a civilized talk with the Hunter in order to set things straight, I take another step forward.

Clearly, he must have different plans because not a moment later, his index finger pulls the trigger and a gunshot resonates in the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hello lovelies! 

Oohhh finally the first glimpse of Alexander, although it was very brief :p 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Make sure to show your love by voting and commenting! 

Q: What year did you join wattpad?

I joined wattpad in 2017. Infact, this was my first ever book on wattpad before I decided to take it down for rewriting. 

Ciao! <3

The pattern on Zoe's wrist: