my feet was my leather jacket. I bent to pick it up and on an impulse, I sniffed it.

Him.

His scent was all over it--his sweat, his blood, his seed, him. I looked toward the end of the alley and smiled. We would meet again. Of that, I had no doubt. Draping my coat over one arm, I left the alley, mind on nothing but a wolf in man's clothing. Whatever had possessed me only moments before to want such a dangerous creature still had its talons deep inside me. I was so lost in my thoughts--remembering his smell, his taste, his touch--that I didn't realize I was home until I looked up to see the rotting carcass of Magnolia House.

Just before slipping through the gap between the iron gate and the brick wall to which it was attached, I looked out into the dark street. Something within me hoped he was out there, watching me with even half the interest I now had in him. Neighborhood teenagers were fun to scare, but fear can be a two-edged sword--sweet and bitter and oh-so-addictive. My new visitor? He inspired fear...and hunger and desire. Halloween was coming soon. I wondered, as I closed my front door behind me, if I would run into my visitor. I hoped I would.

* * *

If I had to pick a favorite holiday, hands down, it would be Halloween. It was the only time I could go out and blend in perfectly. No one batted an eye if they suddenly found themselves dancing with a vampire. In terms of costumes, mine was far from the most outrageous. So, with a ruffled poet's shirt, tight black pants, black boots, and cape, I went out to see what sort of fun I could pick up. Sometimes feeding ended in death for the unfortunate soul stuck with me, and sometimes... Well, sometimes, I had a bout of goodwill.

Finding myself in one of the more festive nightclubs downtown, I mixed and mingled, flashing fangs at those who looked hard enough. No one believed they were real, and that was fine by me. Finding a very good representation of a medieval lord, I took him out onto the dance floor. He was lacking. Very lacking. I quickly became bored, and I imagine he did as well, considering he left without me quite noticing. My attention had been well-diverted to the front door.

There he was. My new visitor, the tempest I had collided with in an alley only two nights before. His clothes were much more fitting, almost tailored to his body. Now he did look like a lord, moving easy in his skin. Much different from the creature I had encountered before. No longer in tattered jeans, he wore pants of rich burgundy. His shirt was white, opened just enough at the top to make my mouth water. Lord, but he was predatory, even in this form. Yellow eyes scanned the room. Then that stare settled on me. I could feel it sweep over me and a shiver followed it, from the soles of my feet to the ends of my hair.

Before I knew he had even moved, I was flush against him, our bodies sliding and grinding in time to the pounding rhythm of the house music. He was already hard, hungry. I could see it in his eyes, the way he stared at me. For him, I would spread myself out as a banquet.

"Now