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“Nice to meet you Carfax,” she answered with a sly smile.

Behind her more people came in and the music switched to Sisters of Mercy.

“It must be an oldies night, huh? Eighties or something?”

“Oh, it is the retro-goth night. ” Lord Carfax quickly paid for their drinks as they arrived.

“Ah, I don't know much about Goth. Sorry. ”

“You're not Goth?” Lord Carfax looked a little shocked. “But your clothes! Your hair!”

“I'm pretty much a rocker chick. I usually hang with the metalheads,” she confi

ded.

“I see. ” He looked a little disappointed, but tapped the edge of his wine glass against her shot glass anyway. “Well, at least you came here and I was able to meet you and enjoy your beauty. ”

Giving him a bemused look, she downed her vodka and enjoyed the burn all the way down.

“Thanks. I just felt like getting out and meeting people,” she said to him after a beat.

“Oh, I am so glad you did. You are by far the most lovely woman in the club. Delectable. ” He grinned and licked a fang.

She blinked slowly. She wasn't sure if they were real or not. If they were fake, they were a masterpiece of craftsmanship. “Nice teeth. ”

“The better to bite you. ” Lord Carfax chuckled and sipped more of his wine.

“So you fancy yourself a vampire?”

“My lady, I am a vampire,” he responded and pretended to take a little bite out of her neck.

She could hear his teeth chink together, then he drew away smiling.

“Ah, I see. ”

“I do enjoy an occasional bite,” he confided. “And you do look tasty. ”

Arching an eyebrow, she looked at his clothing, then back into his face. She could see now that he was wearing base and a bit of powder. “So. . . if you're a vampire, why are you dressed like you are? Wouldn't you want to blend in so you could get your prey?”

“Oh, no, dear lady, I want to embrace the time period from which I came. And by coming to this club, I can. Besides, I am a seducer, not a monster. I am a hunter of lovely throats and delicate limbs. ”

She lifted her other eyebrow and motioned for another shot. “I see. So, vampires like to hang out in old fashioned clothes in Goth bars and pick up women for blood?”

“I'm sure your blood must be the most divine elixir,” Lord Carfax purred leaning toward her.

A short laugh next to her drew Amaliya's gaze to a man next to her. He wasn't any taller than her, five foot seven possibly, and he had short brownish hair that was a little on the messy side. Dressed in black jeans and a dress shirt that wasn't tucked in, he looked obscenely normal compared to Lord Carfax. He was drinking what smelled like Jack Daniels and his keen hazel eyes regarded her with bemusement.

“Hey, he thinks my blood should taste good,” she said, and re-crossed her legs.

“I just don't think a real vampire would be dressed like that and hitting on you, that's all,” the man answered her, and sipped more of his drink.

“So what would a real vampire be doing?” she asked him. She leaned her elbows on the bar and gaze at him curiously.

Lord Carfax skirted around her, realizing he had lost her attention. “Telling you of your great beauty and desiring to see you under the stars. ”

“That's a good one,” the other man said. He paid for Amaliya's new shot of vodka.

Giving him a silent salute, Amaliya downed it, and smiled. “He speaks pretty. ”