“And…Dawn?” “Yes?” “Be careful.” “Be careful dancing?” He smiled. “The way you dance, that wouldn’t be bad advice.” Then he lost the smile and his cool eyes blazed with a strange current I’d never seen. “Be careful…always.”

“I saw you fall. Are you okay?” he asked. “Yup, great,” I said, forcing a smile. “Dancing One, Dawn Zero.”

“I said I wasn’t going to hurt you!” he growled, pinning me even further into the soft, wet earth. “But I never said that I wouldn’t hurt you!” I snapped. He brought his face toward mine. “I’d like to see you try,” he whispered.”

“I’m a big girl. I can make my own decisions about my dance partners.” He raised his arms in defense. “All I’m saying is that the guy let you trip and fall. I worry about you dancing in someone else’s arms.”

“Do you see what I’m wearing?” A small smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. “I do.” In a blink of an eye, his smile vanished. “But, to my misfortune, so does everyone else in this place.”

“Sebastian then turned to the redhead. I didn’t want to know her name. I already had a perfectly fitting nickname for her in my head. “This is Selena Alvaro.” “Please call me Lena,” the girl smiled, extending a manicured hand. I shook it politely. Whatever Sebastian's issue was, I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of showing that I cared. “Do you know Bast well?” she asked me. Ugh. That nickname again. “I guess not,” I replied curtly, shooting him a pointed look. “He's just one of the vampires in town.”

“I'm sure it's not what it looks like.” Sophie's meek voice held a note of pity. Brooke's, on the other hand, was laced with anger. “What the heck is he thinking?” “There must be a reasonable explanation for his actions.” “Ugh. Could that dress be any shorter?” “She's probably just a friend.” “You're way prettier than her, Dawn.” “Maybe she's his cousin?” Sophie asked hopefully. Brooke snorted. “Yeah, if you mean kissing cousin.”