See You in the After Light (Dacian)

[Amelia Pace]

The Hog's Head was the last place that Amelia wanted to be. But having said she'd meet James for some unknown reason at the blessed pub, she was there.

Wandering through Hogsmeade, trying her best not to fall on the icy pathways on the village Amelia was nearing the place she was, safe to say, about to meet her match.

She could feel somebody, something, watching her. Eyes were boring into her back and she could feel it. She tentatively looked to either side, figuring she was just imagining it and it was the location that was making her paranoid and carrying on towards the pub.

Ignoring the feeling wasn't working though. Something was up. There was something different about the atmosphere of the place since she had last been there. Not that she had actively made herself take account of the make up of the air and the smell of areas, it freaked her out that she could smell things better than most. Fear being the outlying factor.

Looking around again, she still couldn't see anybody who remotely looked suspicious or looking in her direction. But that meant nothing. There were plenty of dark alleys in this place, especially in the late November afternoon.

"Why am i even here?" she asked herself out loud, ignoring the fact that her boyfriend wouldn't be best pleased if she turned back now. Why couldn't he have just waited for her in the main village?

[Dacian]

Winter was a good time for vampires. Late sunrise and early dusk made hunting longer and more fruitful. The cold didn't bother him, as his body often just assimilated the ambient temperature, and it even worked in his favour -- nobody noticed if your hands were cold on an icy day. It was evenings like this that made eternal life worthwhile. Dacian drew in a deep breath of cool late-afternoon air and settled into his routine. He was stationed in a side-ally that ran the length of the Hogs Head. After much bargaining, threatening and deal-making, Dacian was allowed to use the basement in the Hogs Head to house Vivian and himself while he rehabilitated her and healed himself up enough to take on whatever had killed his new protege.

The village was bustling with life as the pub had opened for business and the older students from the wizarding school were beginning to filter down into Hogsmeade for a social night out drinking butterbeers. Dacian was almost chipper. He was mentally berating himself for missing this golden hunting opportunity. Why skulk around in the woods when the traffic flow here was so bountiful? And mostly legal.

The vampire grinned to himself, settled back into the shadows of the alley and took in another deep breath. The sigh he was about to exhale caught in his throat, and his eyes were suddenly intent on the pedestrians out on the cobbled street. He held that breath for a long time -- any mortal would have passed out by now. It was that scent that greeted him, silky soft with a hint of bite that had his attention rapt. Werewolf always did have a hint of spice.

His predatory gaze locked onto her as she came in view at the end of his alley. She was easily noticeable with her animal grace and that wary look on her face. She was young, and that was good. If she knew what was making her edgy, she would have run by now. Dacian inched forward until he was sure she would catch a glimpse of him then retreated fast. Werewolves had a preternatural confidence. A human would see something lurking in the alley and steer clear, but a werewolf couldn't resist a chase. After all, what could be bigger and badder than the big bad wolf?

[Amelia Pace]

Amelia kept walking, past one final alleyway that ran down the side of the infamous public house. One Harry Potter used back in the day to rally his troops into Hogwarts. Or something like that she hadn't really been listening when James had recounted the stories to her. To be brutally honest, she couldn't care who he was, or what he had to do with James, she liked him for him not his famous Dad. Not that people ever believed that, but they were the shallow ones.

Whoever was looking at her, Amelia was sure was home to that smell. It was intoxicating, it was new. It wasn't something she had come across before, and she wanted sure she wanted to come across it again. Swallowing the dear that was slowly raising u through her she glanced left and right one more time.

She saw a shadow. The shadow of a man, and he was looking directly at her. She had found her culprit.

She gulped once again, looking from the door of the Hog's Head and the mouth of the alley way. Why couldn't she have just left it alone? Left the mysterious shado- the mysterious disappearing shadow. Okay, now she was going down there, regardless of what time she said she'd meet James.

Amelia wandered slowly, towards it, between the littered bins and Butterbeer bottles. "Hello?" she called out, her voice wavering, her confidence suddenly gone. She saw her shadowman and stopped. This was not a good idea.

[Dacian]

Like an angler, you had to get the bait just right to catch the fish. When he saw the curiosity pique in her pale eyes, he knew he had won. She just couldn't resist. Dacian contained his elation, and kept very still in the concealing shadows while the werewolf came further into the alley.

She came quite far, and Dacian saw that moment where curiosity turned to concern. She was wondering if this was such a good idea after all. Before she could act on that thought, before the echo of her uncertain greeting had stopped ricocheting off the stone walls on either side of them, he launched forward. Clearing a few empty crates, he grabbed for her jaw in an attempt to silence her before she could cry out and alert the other people within earshot.

The problem with werewolves was that vampire sedatives -- like other medications -- had little to no effect. Biting her would only cause pain, and the byproduct of pain was incredible amounts of noise. So instead of going right for the bite, he tried his best to restrain her first, one hand over her mouth with special care not to get any fingers in biting range while trying to bodily pin her against the cold damp wall of the pub.

That spicy scent of hers was making him salivate. Werewolf had always been his favourite meal. Like an energy drink packed full of sugar, werewolf blood had a kick to it that would keep him running for a while. Not to mention, it tasted like a good dessert. It was good like to find one here, so close to Hogwarts and the meddling Connery, and she was a student nonetheless! He wondered if Connery knew. Dacian grinned, his fangs glinting in the meagre light. If she didn't know what he was before, she would now.

[Amelia Pace]

Had Amelia learnt nothing from crap American TV? Never go into a dark alley way on your own at night, you will get attacked by something and most likely wind up dead. Not that she actually planned on dying, but then you never did. Curiosity killed the cat, good job she wasn't a cat then wasn't it?

Expecting a vocal reply from whomever this figure was, was stupid. Not a second after the word had left her lips she could feel herself being accosted. A rough hand covering her mouth. A short shriek was muffled by the appendage, and the rest of her struggled against the person who had her pinned against the outer wall of the pub. "Get off me!" was what she was trying to say, but she couldn't move her jaw enough to form the words so it just sounded like a distressed hum.

She struggled, she tried to put up a fight, but all of her attempts were lost, futile against the strength of the creature. She'd have thought otherwise but he was inhumanly strong, nobody could have that power. She should have listened to the warnings of the entire school, she should have known better.

Her eyes went wider, on seeing the pointed white grint through the darkness, and more muffled squeaks could be heard through his hand as she tried to get out of his grasp, but he had her good and proper. Where was Connery when you needed him? Amelia was about to end up as Vampire food, like she hadn't had enough creature attacks for a lifetime. If it was the full moon, she'd have a field day. Typically for her luck, it wasn't. She had her reflexes and super smelling capabilities, but that was no good to be used when already pinned against a wall for the supper of something Connery would love to kick the hell into.

[Dacian]

It was a difficult thing to stop all limbs flailing. The hand over her mouth kept her head still, but he could only keep one other arm still while his knees pinned her legs. It would have been intimate if it weren't for the very sinister intent.

With a growl, he put some more force on what limbs he'd captured. "Stop struggling, wolf. The more trouble you make, the more likely I am to kill you." The urge to bite was becoming insistent. If only she wouldn't bleed out if he gave in. He could knock her out. A blow to the head would stop her struggling or alternatively kill her.

Killing her would be bad, however, so the vampire settled for threatening her into stillness.

[Amelia Pace]

With one hand Amelia was trying to pull his hand fro her mouth, but it all came to nothing. He was ultimately stronger than her. She'd never win.

Amelia had never scared easily. Once you'd been attacked by a werewolf, it took a lot to throw you, but this, this was worse that that. At least once she'd been hit round the head by the werewolf she hadn't know what had happened to her. All she knew is she woke up in hospital a few days later and her new abilities had started to freak her out slightly.

She had tears in the corner of her eyes and she stopped moving. Her breathing heavy, occasionally it was catch in her throat. Knowing she was scared would only serve to please the beast, but she couldn't help but cry.

She knew through the wall behind her James was sat, most likely drinking his butterbeer, getting ever more annoyed that she making him wait. If only he knew. Her free hand hit against the brick of the building, making no nose and only serving to hurt her hand.

[Dacian]

If he wasn't so hell-bent on eating her, he might have been sympathetic at her tears. As it was, you didn't feel pity for your favourite chocolate bar when you had it unwrapped and in your hands. You tended to eat it before it melted. "Steady there, wolf. You'll be hurting yourself doing that." His hand still held over her mouth tightly, he couldn't stop her but as it was a feeble attempt at attracting attention, he ignored it.

"Alright, pup, here's the deal. You're much more valuable alive than dead, so I'm not going to kill you unless you scream or run off to tell all your wizarding friends about me once I'm done with you." He raised one brow. "If you struggle, I'll bite you. If you scream, I'll bite you. And I won't be nice about it. But if you behave like a good wolf, I'll play nice. Understand?" He released a little of the pressure on her jaw so she'd have enough room to nod but he could clamp down on her mouth if she tried to make a sound.

[Amelia Pace]

Amelia clenched her fist, her knuckles whitening, digging her trimmed nails into her hand. Every breath she took was shakier than the one before. Tears stained he face and slowly fell down her cheeks, unyielding. She wanted to call out and scream for help, but in the end she knew it would do her no good and only cause her more pain. The Vampire confirmed this, she tried to nod but found his hand stopped her from moving her head much at all.

Amelia sniffed, letting a shaky breath out through her lips, she nodded slowly, her fear stopping her from moving more than that all together. She didn't completely understand how he could be nice about digging his teeth into the side of her neck and drinking her blood. It would hurt. There was no point in denying that fact, but it was better to play the 'good pup' and not struggle against him.

Certainly it would hurt more if she did? But he wasn't going to kill her? Did he plan on have her coem to him for him to feed off of once a month or whevever he felt like it? 'Cause after tonight Amelia didn't plan on going anywhere alone.

As for not telling people, once she turned up white as a sheet and bleeding people were going to ask questions. Her Head of House was hunting the son of a bitch, not that Amelia knew the specifics, but vampires and Connery came hand in hand these days. But if she told him the Vampire would hunt her down and the next time he wouldn't be so forgiving...

She nodded once again in confirmation. no she wouldn't struggle or scream, but she sure as hell wasn't about to make a habit of it.

[Dacian]

The werewolf was positively frightened stiff. At least she wasn't screaming. He shook his head and slowly released his hand from her mouth. "Now, unfortunately for you, this is going to hurt. But you're brave, so you won't make a peep, right?" The vampire reached for her left hand and drew a knife from his belt and raised a studious brow at her expression.

"You didn't think I was going to risk you bleeding out, did you?
I wonder if Connery taught you anything useful -- a vampire's bite will heal quickly if its administered properly, but that doesn't work on werewolves. No, you little puppies just keep on bleeding like it was any other wound." He handled the knife, letting her see the delicate blade. "I'll let you in on a little secret -- I'm not as crass as men like Connery think." With a quick movement, he sliced a shallow wound in the pad of her thumb. Assuming she was right-handed, she would even be able to do her school work. How nice of him.