As AJ approached the location marker, he checked the time.

 

Ten minutes early, hope that doesn’t seem too keen… if this was a date. Which it’s not, because she’s got some explaining to do, which is… un-date-like…

 

His phone buzzed with confirmation as he reached the exact spot marked by the digital pin, the screen's blue dot perfectly aligned with his destination. Doing a slow three-sixty, a wave of confusion attacked his senses. The River Aire stretched before him, its murky waters carving the city into halves.

 

Cannot see a cafe here, - he pulled up Eliza’s messages on his phone and started typing.

 

“I’ve followed your pin and it’s led me next to the canal. There’s just a block of flats behind me.” The dots appeared on the screen, as if she was expecting this message.

 

“Punctual. Nice. I’ll come meet you.” the reply came. AJ looked up from his phone, trying to spot her.

 

“Hey!” Eliza’s voice rang out from behind him, standing in the under-flat car park. She'd traded her usual look for something with flash; a clubbing outfit that caught the light with every movement, all sequins and bold colors.

 

“Is that what the kids are wearing for coffee these days?” AJ asked, approaching her. She looked down at her clothes in mock surprise.

 

“Too much?” she teased. AJ shook his head, his ears pricked up sensing the faint sound of a driving bass line.

 

“So where’s the cafe?” Eliza cocked her head, applying her lip balm, amusement painted her face.

 

“The Coffee Shop isn’t a cafe, it’s a club!” she laughed. AJ's shoulders slumped as he let out a long breath, his face a perfect portrait of someone who'd just walked straight into a joke at his own expense.

 

Nothing is straightforward about this woman… - Eliza reached out for his hand and pulled him towards the car park.

 

“There’s an entrance down here, on the sub-level,” she led him down a set of stairs. The bass was getting louder the further down they went. At the bottom of the stairwell, Eliza pushed through a metal fire door, her fingers still laced through AJ's, pulling him toward a second entrance where a mountain of a man in a tight black t-shirt stood sentinel, arms crossed over his chest.

 

“You’ll hear plenty of things here, none of them true, and that’s why it’s safe.” She turned her attention to the bouncer. “Move over, Gio,”

 

Gio eyed AJ with, what he assumed, was pure unadulterated hatred.

 

He’s gonna hit me, I know it. To AJ’s surprise the bouncer moved to the side and opened the door. Did he just bow to Eliza?

 

The music hit AJ like a tidal wave, drowning out any other sounds and filling AJ's ears with a constant, pounding beat. The screams and shouts of the crowd added to the overwhelming cacophony. The combined scents of sweat, cologne, and alcohol lingered in the air, creating an almost tangible haze.

 

Cigarette smoke and something a little more herbal hung over the dance floor as he was dragged through. They pushed their way to the bar where a bartender abandoned a half-mixed cocktail mid-pour, rushed over the moment Eliza raised her hand.

 

“What ya drinking?” she asked, turning to him and yelling over the beat.

 

Coffee? - he thought, then said aloud, “Something sugar-free. No… fuck it, Coke.”

 

“Two Cokes!” she shouted at the bartender, who nodded and rushed off to the fridge. Before AJ had a chance to blink he was back with two glasses. Eliza handed one to him and picked the other one, grabbing his hand again and leading him away.

 

“Don’t we have to pay?” AJ shouted. Eliza turned and smiled, shaking her head.

 

“Don’t worry about it!”

 

They carried on walking, jostling their way through the crowd until they reached a spiral staircase, going up into what appeared to be a balcony.

 

“Private booth?” he asked, but it fell on deaf ears as he was pulled up. As they reached the top, to AJ’s surprise, he felt as though he could hear a bit more clearly up here.

 

“Sit!” Eliza commanded. AJ obliged, taking a seat near the balcony, getting a good view of the club-goers below. She slid into the seat beside him, her sequined outfit brushing against his arm, close enough that he could smell her perfume over the club's chaos. He didn't mind.

 

“How’s your head?” she asked.

 

“Not bad,” he brushed the wound with his fingers, “not hurting as much now… look Eliza, what are we doing here?” She took a sip of her coke and set it down on the table in front of them. The playfulness had drained from her face slightly, as she turned back to face him.

 

“The things you want to talk about are best done in places like this, where it’s difficult for anything to hear,” her words hung in the air for a second. AJ nodded in agreement.

Makes sense, I can hardly hear myself down there let alone anyone else.

 

“I shouldn’t be saying this. They’ll call it breach of covenant. But fear makes liars of us all, and I’m tired of lying for them. They fear for the safety of their kind. They’re questioning how they’re staying hidden.” Her words were sharp. “There was a time where they seemingly governed themselves, but now, they’re not so sure.”

 

“You’re talking about Vampires, right?” AJ asked. Eliza's lips curved upward, but the gesture never reached her eyes; those remained fixed on his, carrying the weight of someone who'd just surrendered something precious.

 

“You’re not going to let it drop are you?” she said, quietly.

 

AJ shook his head. “Humour me. Pretend I’m strong enough to hear all this,” he encouraged. It was her turn to nod.

 

“First of all I have to know I can trust you.”

 

“I mean, I’ve followed you to a place I didn’t know existed and accepted basically everything you’ve said, right? If you wanted to kill me I’d be dead.” AJ responded, dryly.

 

“If I show you, it binds us both. Are you sure you want that?”

 

I think I do.

 

He nodded.

 

“Feeding’s one thing,” she said, almost to herself. “That’s hunger and control. But sharing… giving blood… that’s something else. That's a covenant.”

 

Eliza raised her palm to AJ's face. Before he could react, her teeth flashed in the club's strobing light, tearing into the meat of her hand between thumb and forefinger. Dark liquid welled from the wound, catching the neon glow as it trickled toward her wrist. AJ stared at the dark trickle winding down Eliza's palm, the club's lights catching it in flashes of red and purple, making it look almost alive. His stomach twisted, a sour heat rising in his throat like he'd swallowed something rotten.

 

“Drink… it’s the only way I can be sure…” she moved her hand closer.

 

I hope it tastes nice.

 

The metallic tang hit him before he even leaned closer, sharp and coppery, mixing with the club's haze of sweat and spilled booze that already clung to his skin.

 

"Sure, why not?" he muttered, his voice barely cutting through the muffled bass thumping up from below. Her eyes locked on his, steady, waiting. The blood beckoned him forward until his mouth closed over the wound. He swallowed once, twice, surprised by the taste; not revolting, but something else entirely. Then her fingers threaded through his hair, pulling him gently but firmly away from her palm.

 

“That’s enough. I can…” she closed her eyes, her body tensing as though an electric current had just passed through her veins. “I can feel you now. Maybe I didn’t give you enough… no… it’ll work.” He opened his mouth to ask, but she spoke first. “A link,” she said softly. “Every drop creates one. It’s how we find each other. Not too much or you’ll start to dream our dreams.”

 

Her eyes snapped open, green as absinthe, making his skin prickle with a sudden chill. She wiped the wound against the table edge, smearing a streak of dark gloss across the wood. “If they learn of this connection, they’ll come for us both,” she said. “No bonding with mortals. It’s the oldest breach.” Her voice wavered for the first time. “Do you trust me?”

 

Yes, my Queen. Holy fuck, I mean, yes I do.

 

He immediately corrected his thoughts. Eliza leaned, eyes still bright.

 

“Good, because now we’re both in it. And I have a rule… don’t call me ‘Queen’.” AJ leaped back in horror, almost falling off his seat.

 

“You can read my mind?!” he exclaimed. She threw her head back and laughed.

 

“I think it works with emotion. If there’s a particularly strong one attached to it then I guess I can!”

 

“So if I think about something now…”

 

Her laughter softened. “Depends on the emotion attached to it, I think. I’d know you thought it, but not what. Like hearing the echo not the word.”

 

“Right,” he muttered, face colouring. “Then never mind.” He drained half his drink, setting the glass down with a hollow clink. “So what does your blood actually do to me?”

 

Eliza tilted her head, considering. “I’ve never shared before, from what I’ve heard it’s different for every human.” Her fingertip traced a slow path from his jawline down the side of his neck, lingering at his pulse point. “Whatever it is, you’ll know soon enough.”

 

“That’s… reassuring,” he said, voice dry.

 

“I wasn’t trying to reassure you.” She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. For a few breaths, neither of them moved.

 

“Am I going to die because of Vampires?” he asked.

 

“Probably.” Her tone was so calm he almost missed the smile behind it. AJ let out a short, sharp laugh that caught in his throat, and Eliza's shoulders shook as she joined him.

 

“So,” she said, “you wanted the truth.”

 

AJ nodded.

 

“My allegiance is to an order known as the Vesperate,” she said , lowering her voice, “I don’t know when it began, but all I know is that it's old. Older than most churches, kind-of-old. We’ve stayed hidden for so long by following a set of… rules. They’re pretty heavily governed.”

 

“So why break them now? Why tell me?”

 

“Vampires are shit at keeping themselves hidden because they have to feed on humans. Some have tricks to help keep out of sight… but collectively we didn’t really keep up with technology.”

“You seem to be doing fine,” AJ smiled.

 

“You don’t adapt, you die.” She said, returning his smile. “The camera invention posed a problem for us, not at first, but as they got more sophisticated, it became a real issue. We needed a way to combat it.”

 

“Hence the cameras blacking out?”

 

“In certain locations, for sixty-six seconds every night. The Sweep.”

 

“Clever, who controls that?” AJ inquired.

 

“You mean it’s not the OUSR?” Her final question hung between them like smoke.

 

“No… I’ve been wondering why they’re glitching!” AJ exclaimed. Eliza's shoulders dropped a fraction, the tension bleeding from her frame as she leaned closer to him.

 

“If you don’t and we don’t… then who?” her eyes swept across the dance floor below, distant and unfocused, like she was watching something only she could see. AJ flashed his phone in front of her face, showing the device he had photographed.

 

“This is a jamming device, it blocks out phone signals and stuff. I think this is the thing that turns the cameras off. It’s also got internet access, which means someone could be watching.” Eliza nodded as she studied the picture. “It was under a metal cover which had some letter etched on it, ‘CCS’. Does that mean anything to you?”

 

Eliza frowned, moving uncomfortably in her seat. “It must be related to the Sweep. Like I said though, the Vesperate don’t run it; we’ve just let it get on with it until now.”

 

“So who does run it?”

 

She shrugged, picked up her glass and finished her drink. “Anything else you can tell me?”

 

I can help keep you safe…

“Aww that’s sweet, but I can definitely look after myself!” she giggled.

 

“Fuck, that’s gonna take some getting used to. No, what I meant was, OUSR don’t know why the cameras go dark. They’re definitely in the business of hunting Vampires though, not protecting you.”

Eliza's composure cracked for just a moment, her pupils dilating against those absinthe irises.

 

AJ continued, “but that means that you’re safe in those black spots, for now. And if anything changes I can let you know. I mean after all, I am the one who watches them…”

 

“Looks like we’re both breaking some rules here…” Her smile was quick, defiant; like a decision made in real time

 

The space between them vanished in a heartbeat; her cool mouth finding his warm one, sending an electric current down his spine that pooled low in his belly. Her fingers traced up his neck, nails grazing his scalp as she pulled him deeper into the kiss. The metallic tang of her blood still lingered on his tongue as she parted her lips against his, her breath catching when he responded with unexpected hunger.

 

AJ's heart slammed against his ribs like it wanted out, each beat echoing the throb in his veins where her blood still hummed, warm and strange. He tasted it again now, that coppery edge mixing with the sweetness of Coke on her lips, her cool tongue sliding against his in a way that made his skin buzz. Her nails dug lightly into his scalp, sending sparks down his neck, and he leaned into it, one hand finding her waist, fingers pressing into the sequins that scratched rough against his palm.

 

What the hell? One minute she's spilling secrets about vampires, the next... this!

 

The heat between them cooled to embers, leaving them locked in a silent gaze.

 

“You let enough secrets spill there yourself,” she giggled.

 

“Yup. It’ll probably cost me my life in a different way.”

 

“It’s in both of our interests to keep this quiet. You can trust me.” AJ dipped his chin in agreement, then closed the distance between them once more.