I had always wondered where baggage handlers got all of their pent up agression from. Judging by the way they fling people's luggage in and out of the baggage compartment of the plane, they all can do with a sever dose of anger management classes.

"At least I didn't pack anything breakable," I remember thinking as I stared down at the man below me who looked like he was winding a pitch up to start the world series with my bag. "Well, maybe that's it, maybe he's in training for a professional baseball team." And maybe I was the king of France.

I sighed and leaned back in my seat, thinking that maybe I could just sleep through the entire plane ride. It was a three hour flight from Boston to miami, with no layover, so my best bet was just to enjoy it for the time being and not think about the problems that would await me when I arrived, or the problem that had caused me to the need to fly to miami in the first place.

As I finally began to doze off, I was rudely awakened by a stranger bumping into my seat as he made his way down the aisle. I glared at him as he muttered something that might have been an apology and continued down the aisle, noting his slightly stooped posture and closely cropped light brown hair.

After that I found it hard to sleep. The letter was burning a hole in my pocket. I sat back and told myself to relax. As the plane took off, I tried looking out the window to focus my thoughts elsewhere, but no matter what I did I couldn't stop thinking about my sister Autumn. In the end, I gave up, and I pulled the letter out one more time to read it.

Dear Lavannah.

Miami gets even more wonderful every day that I spend here. From the beautiful coasts of South Beach to the spectacular night clubs, I have found my piece of heaven on earth. And I have made such amazing friends here. Recently I met the most wonderful man. He treats me like a queen and I have never been so happy in my life. He's in a band, too! The most brilliant band in Miami. I am to meet him at the club tonight (that is where we met and it is such a fantastic place. If you come to visit I will take you there) and I am nervous but excited at the same time. I have enclosed a photo of him so you can see just how devilishly handsome he is. I wish that you would consider leaving boring Boston at least long enough to spend a few days with me here. Everything is so different in Miami. Please say you'll come. I miss you.

Love,

Autumn

Refolding the letter, I tried to hold back my tears but they came anyway. "Oh Autumn," I thought, "why did you ever have to leave Boston?" But I knew the answer.

My younger sister Autumn had always had an impetuous streak to her and a wildness that no amount of growth or maturity could dispel. She and I had been close growing up. She had been a bit of a social outcast in our hometown right outside of Boston. Whereas I had breezed through high and gone on to earn a bachelor's degree in marketing, Autumn had struggled her way through high school and opted not to go to college. She was an artist of considerable talent, and in the end the art galleries and pop culture of Miami had drawn her like a magnet. She left Boston, much to my displeasure. I did not try to stop her from going, though I had felt a forbodingness in the pit of my stomach that couldn't be explained when she told she was moving. And now she was missing.

For the first several months after Autumn had moved she had kept in constant contact with me via letters sent through the mail. She didn't have a cell phone or a computer, and she claimed that she liked sitting down to write letters, that it felt more intimate somehow. But the letters had stopped suddenly one day, throwing me into a state of panic. I felt that something terrible had happened to my sister. Without hesitation, I left my job at the marketing firm indefinitely and taken the first flight to Miami that I could arrange. I had almost no information to go on as far as how to find Autumn. All I had was the letter in my pocket, which was the most recent one she had sent me (with no return address) and the photograph she had enclosed with it.

The photograph. I pulled it out and stared at it for the millionth time that day. This most recent letter was the first letter Autumn had sent me that mentioned this mysterious new boyfriend in the photograph.

To say that he was attractive was an understatement. He had medium length long black hair, perfectly straight and immaculate. His skin was rather pale, but he had a seductive quality in his eyes that drew you in and kept you from being able to look away. He was tall and slender, dressed primarily in black, with a flowing velvet jacket. He wore black eyeliner in the photo, with perhaps a hint of mascara.

I had no idea what his name was, but I knew that I had to find him. He was the only link I had to my sister and her disappearance. I knew from Autumn's letter that he played in a band and that Autumn had met him in a club. It wasn't much, but I intended to scour every club in Miami until I found him.

Upon arriving in Miami, I had quickly checked into a hotel in South Beach, and then donned a simple long black dress for my first night out on the town. Clubbing wasn't exactly what I did for fun on my nights off in Boston, but I figured I would at least sort of fit in with the club crowd in basic black. I knew that Autumn preferred the darker, more Gothic type of crowd, and that narrowed my list of places to check out somewhat. I had done some research on the Internet before leaving the hotel, and at present I was in a cab on my way toward downtown Miami with a list of addresses to check out.

Every mile brought me closer to Autumn, and yet every second my aprehension grew. I just couldn't shaken off the feeling that some terrible fate had befallen my little sister.

It was almost mid-day when the plane touched down at miami international airport. I had time to check into a hotel in South Beach and do a little bit of internet research before hitting the clubs. Before leaving the room, I copied down a list of names and addresses of nightclubs and bars located in downtown miami. I knew that Autumn preferred the darker, more Gothic type of crowd, and that narrowed down my list of places to check out somewhat. I was careful to don a simple long black dress for my first night out on the town. Clubbing wasn't exactly what I did for fun on my nights off in Boston, but I figured I would at least sort of fit in with the club crowd in basic black. Finally, I was ready to hail a cab to take me to the first address on my list.

It was a long and uneventful ride from South Beach to the inner city. The cabby dropped me off in front of a shady looking place in the heart of downtown Miami called "The Snake's Den." Pausing out side, I stopped to study the pierced, tattooed kids coming in and out of the club. Hesitant to enter, I took a moment to wonder what exactly I, the astute business woman from Boston, was doing outside of a Goth club in downtown Miami. But then I thought of Autumn, with her innocent smile and her infectious charm and laughter, and I slowly summoned up the courage to walk into the club.

Loud ambient industrial music assaulted me as I entered the crowded venue. Looking around, I made a quick mental note of the layout of the place. There was a bar in the middle of the place, and a stage at the far end of the room, currently empty. A DJ was spinning music for the dancers displaying their moves on the floor in front of the stage. Neon lights kept the floor lit, while leaving the rest of the club dark and mysterious. The atmosphere was stuffy and hot, and I resolved to find out what I could and get out of there as soon as I possible.

Slowly, I maneuvered my way over to the bar and stood there looking around while I waited for the bartender to notice me. I kept a close lookout for anyone resembling the man in the picture Autumn had sent me. A bunch of twenty-something kids in dark clothing caught my eye, but a brief glance was enough to confirm that they were not my little sister or her mystery man.

"What can I get cha?" the bartender asked, coming over and laying a square napkin down on the bar in front of me.

I smiled at him. "Actually, I'm looking for someone. Two someones really. Um, the guy, I don't know his name. But he is in a band, and here, I have a photo." I handed the bartender the photo of Autumn's love interest. "Also, I'm looking for a girl with light brown hair, early 20s-"

"Lady," the bartender cut me off. He glanced down at the photo without taking it from me. "I see a million girls like that every night here. I can't keep track of all of them. I haven't seen anyone like that guy in the picture though." He shrugged. Maybe ask some of the people on the dance floor."

I thanked him and walked away from the bar. Now the hard part. Taking a deep breath, I strode out onto the dance floor.

"Hey, watch where you're going." I tried to maneuver my way around the dancers as best as possible but it was difficult in such a tight space and I was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic. I did manage to stop a few people, though, and the ones who actually took the time to acknowledge me and look at the photo were unhelpful. No one was able to give me any information on Autumn or the man in the photo.

Feeling a little discouraged, I crossed The Snake's Den off my list of clubs and left in search of the next address I had written down.

As fate would have it, my search seemed to be destined for failure. By the end of the night I was exhausted and as clueless as I had been before coming to Miami. I must have gone to at least ten clubs in the past six hours, but I hadn't found a single clue as to the whereabouts of my sister or her lover.

Unfortunately, that was exactly how the next two nights went as well. I searched clubs in South Beach the second night and Miami beach the third, all to no avail. I met many rude and uncooperative people during my inquiries, and many sympathic ones as well, but no one who had seen or heard of Autumn or her gorgeous boyfriend.

And so it was that by the end of the third night I found myself slightly lost and completely hopeless on a deserted street corner in Miami beach. A slight drizzle had begun to fall and I was beginning to give up on ever finding out what had happened to Autumn. Letting my doubts take over and wondering why I had even gone to Miami in the first place, I took out Miamiy cell phone and called a cab to take me back to the hotel. I was without a single clue and I had come to the conclusion that is was time to give up and go back home. In the morning I would fly back to Boston.

Hanging up the phone, I realized that it would be several minutes before the cab arrived, and the drizzle was starting to turn to full blown rain, so I thought I had best find a place to hole up for a few minutes out of the rain. I pulled my light jacket tighter around myself, and took a look around.

To my right was a black, foreboding looking building. It appeared to be yet another Goth club. Its facade was entirely comprised of black marble. Etched into the marble above the doors was the word "OBSIDIAN." I shivered, and not entirely from the rain. The building gave me the creeps. I continued looking, though it didn't matter. There were no other places around that would open at such a late hour. And the rain wasn't letting up. So, sighing, I shrugged off my feelings of unease and told myself it couldn't be any worse than the dozens of other clubs I had been to over the past few days.

But Obsidian was different, and I knew that from the moment I stepped inside its doors. The club was decorated in a mixture of black and dark reds. There was a bar along the right hand side of the room, and a huge stage at the far end. It was definitely one of the biggest clubs I had been to, and the stage was without a doubt one of the nicest I had seen. It was clear that whoever managed the establishment had taste as well as money. There was a heavy Goth-electronic band playing on the stage when I entered. Along the left hand side of the room was a lounge area with red velvet couches and black marble tables. The middle of the room was comprised entirely of a large dance floor, and though the club seemed to have quite a few patrons, it was not stuffy or overly crowded like most of the other places I had been to. Overall, it gave off a sense of mystery, yet it had a strange welcoming quality to it as well. I found myself smiling without realizing it. I think I rather liked the place.

Eyeing the people obviously enjoying the band on stage, I walked slowly over to the bar and sat down on an empty stool, next to a young dark haired girl in a black corset top and plaid skirt . When the bartender came over with the usual white napkin square, I requested a glass of water. By that point I had given up on asking about my sister or the photograph.

I noticed that the pretty dark haired girl in sitting next to me was glancing my way, and I smiled at her. "I am Levannah," I said, offering my hand. She didn't move to take it.

"You haven't been here before," she said, overtly, and rather rudely staring at me.

I kept my smile, trying to be nice. "Actually, I'm only in town for a few days. I'm from Boston."

The dark haired girl didn't smile back. Instead she sipped her drink slowly without taking her eyes from me. "So why are you here?" she asked, "What's your story?"

I laughed a little. "Well, I don't really have story," I said, taking my water from the bartender and thanking him politely. "I lead a pretty boring life."

"Everyone at Obsidian has a story," the girl said, frowning.

"Well, actually..." I debated showing her the photograph and decided to give it one last shot. "I came here looking for my sister. She moved to Miami several months ago. At first, she wrote to me almost every day, but then a couple of weeks ago her letters stopped coming. I came to Miami to try and find her. I have a photograph of a man she was seeing. I've been trying to find him, because I think he could lead me to my sister. All I know is that he is in a band and that he met my sister in a club. But it seems like I've been to every club in this city and so far I haven't had any luck finding the guy. He's pretty elusive."

"I know just about everyone who comes in here," the girl said, interested for the first time since our conversation began, as I handed her the picture. She took it and suddenly the look on her face changed to one of startlement.

"Look, do yourself a favor and forget you ever saw this picture," she said handing the photograph back to me and rising to leave. "Tear it up, burn it, but don't go flashing it around, especially not around here. You might wind up in the middle of something you don't want to be in."

I was slightly taken aback by her words, but filled with hope at the same time. "No, please," I said. "If you know him, you have to help me. My sister is missing. I have reason to believe that the man in this picture knows where she is. If you know anything that can help me find him or her..."

The girl kept walking away. "Autumn is dead. Leave it at that and go home." She turned back with a sardonic smile. "Besides, if that man wants to be seen, I'm sure he will find you. Later." And she strode off into the crowd without another word.

I sat for a moment in stunned silence. I hadn't mentioned Autumn's name to her. She had to have known her. Finally, I had found a clue. But... she had said Autumn was dead.

The sudden appearance of a stranger next to me startled me from my thoughts.

"Well now it would seem you've just stumbled into a hornets nest. Tell me, my dear, just how much do you know about the man in that photograph you are clinging to desperately to?" The stranger pointed at the picture of Autumn's lover that I was still clutching in my hand. He was of average height with a slightly husky build. His short reddish brown hair looked shaggy and unkept and his brown trench coat made him look extremely out of place in the sea of black clad club goers. Still, his demeanor was personable and he had charm. In a shady sort of way.

"What do you want?" I asked, as he sat down on the bar stool beside me that the rude dark haired girl had vacated. "Do you know him?"

"The man in the picture? Why, how could I not? Magnus Thorne. As dangerous a man as I have ever known. He is the front man for the band Bella Costa. And the owner of this club. Why do you search for him?" He leaned closer, intent on what I had to say.

I found myself nervous and had a hard time answering his questions. "He was seeing my sister, and she disappeared, and..." Suddenly the dark haired girl's words came back to me. "Autumn is dead."

I was too choked up to continue. No matter how hard I tried not to cry, the tears would not be held back. I wipped my eyes with the back of my hand, smearing mascara and eyeliner, and not caring.

The stranger however, ignored my sudden emotional outburst. He pressed me for more information. "So what do you know about Magnus?"

"Next to nothing," I stammered, trying to get control of myself again. "I've gone all over Miami looking for him. I only know that he is in a band, and he met my sister in a club."

The stranger paused for a second. When he spoke again, it was in a hushed tone. "We are encroaching on dangerous territory here. Come to my place and we can talk in peace."

His overtness brought me quickly back to my senses. I had never had a man come on to me in a bar before, and I was extremely leery about this particular man. I didn't want to follow him anywhere.

He must have sensed my hesitation, and he seemed slightly irritated by it, as if he was used to getting what he wanted. "Here." He held a business card out to me. "When you really want to find out what happened to your sister, and you want to know more about Magnus, come and see me."

"Thanks," I muttered, looking at the card. Ersa Cohen was the name on it, and the address was in Coral Gables. I stuffed the card into my pocket, feeling the sudden urge to to leave and longing for a hot shower and a soft bed. "I should get going now."

The stranger just smiled at me, and I stood up and went out into the rainy night to catch my cab.

Of course I didn't go home to Boston the next morning. I couldn't leave without knowing for sure what had happened to Autumn. And I couldn't get Club Obsidian out of my head. Something about the dark mystery of the place seemed to draw me to it. I wondered what was so secretive about the man Ersa had referred to as Magnus. I thought about going to Ersa to find out - but why not go straight to the source? If Obsidian belonged to Magnus, wasn't he bound to show up there at some point? So I would stake the place out. It seemed like a safe enough plan. And I have to admit that the thought of meeting Magnus face to face sent a chill through my body that wasn't at all unpleasant. Back to Club Obsidian I would go.

Every night for the next week I went to Obsidian and tried to blend in, even though it meant going shopping for a new wardrobe of black clothing. I stuck to the shadows as best I could and tried not to draw attention to myself. The people who frequented the club (and it seemed like there was a pretty regular crowd of the same people night after night) were an elusive bunch and I found the little information I could gain from eavesdropping to be, for the most part, petty and inconsequential. I did learn, however, that (as Ersa had said) Magnus was the singer for a local goth band called Bella Costa and that he did indeed own Obsidian. Apparently Bella Costa had a fairly large fan base in Miami and they frequently played at Obsidian.

On the first night I saw the lead guitarist and the drummer from Bella Costa come and go, but not Magnus. I also learned that the name of the dark haired girl I had talked to the night before was Mauve, and that she had some connection to Magnus. I wasn't sure exactly how they were tied together, but I was determined to find out.

Obsidian was like a whole seperate world to me, so vastly unconnected to the city I grew up in, even to the city outside of its walls. It was a dark and forbidden thing, like something I could look at but never touch. It stirred something inside of me, something almost sexial in nature that I hadn't allowed myself to explore before. I don't know if it was the music, the people, the atmosphere or all of it combined, but night after night the club drew me back, never satisfied, and always wanting more.

It wasn't until my third night of staking out Obsidian that I saw the living legend himself for the first time. Magnus. He was a mesmerizing sight, and as he walked into the room, all eyes were on him. I had been watching a mediocre hardcore band on the stage and wondering if I should call it a night when Magnus appeared from a doorway I hadn't noticed before, at the end of a small hallway on the right side of the stage. He was unmistakable as he strode onto the dance floor; his breathtaking looks and immaculate dress left no doubt in my mind that he was the man in the picture that Autumn had sent me.

He wore a red silk shirt and black leather pants, with a blood red cloak that touched the ground when he walked, swirling around his leather boots. His straight black hair fell to his shoulders, and whisps of it fell onto his face, stading out against his pale complexion. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him; he was even more beautiful than the picture had allowed.

Immediately he was surrounded by people. They seemed to be drawn to him in the same way that I was, stopping whatever it was they had been doing to greet him. Cautiously, I let myself inch closer to him, but not too close. I didn't want Magnus or anyone else to know I was watching him.

"How is the band?"

"Where have you been?"

"When are you playing again?"

Magnus was flooded with questions, and I could ascertain by their subject matter that he had been out of the loop for some time. It was something to be admired, the way he skillfully answered their questions with just enough information to satisfy them, but not enough for me to actually gain any sense of who he was or what he had been doing. He smiled as he answered them all, address people by their names and every one in a while throwing in a question or two of his own about someone's well-being. I watched and listened for the next several hours, as Magnus entertained his crowd, until he disappeared back into the room off of the stage in the wee hours of the morning.

From that point on, I was hooked inexplicably to Club Obsidian and its wonderous proprietor, and for me there was no going back to life as I had known it.

Over the next four days I caught glimpses of Magnus now and again as he made brief appearances at Obsidian. Always he came and entered from the room on the side of the stage. I began to sense that he had rooms back there. And always he was a beautiful sight to behold, and he attracted a crowd wherever he went. I tried my best not to stare, but that was something much more easily said than done.

Magnus seemed to be friendly to everyone who approached him, and his demeanor was always welcoming, yet withdrawn somehow, like something was bothering him under the surface. I did not learn anything that could tie him to Autumn, though, and I had finally decided to make myself known to him when he saved me the trouble.

I spent hours working up the courage to go up to him, and when I finally did I looked up only to find he was gone. Disappointed, I started to look around the club when a voice behind me caused me to turn around.

"Who is it you are looking for? Me, perhaps? Perhaps you ask too many questions. And perhaps that isn't a good thing."

I froze, not able to move an inch. His eyes were a deep midnight blue, and I was rendered speechless as I looked into them, almost in a trance. I was frightened and captivated at the same time. And I was madly attracted to him.

Magnus nodded, slowly. "Yes. You look like her. Come," he said, leading me over to one of the red couches in the lounge area. Still shaky, I followed him, noticing that his followers stayed well back, watching us in silence.

When I took a seat and broke eye contact with Magnus, I found my voice again. I decided to tell him as little as possible. That was easy, since I was still having trouble speaking. "I'm looking for my sister. You knew her."

Magnus had a far away look to his eyes when he answered. "She was my lover." He gazed not at me, but through me, and I felt as though he were scanning through my mind, processing the words I said and either regarding them as thruth or throwing them out as rubbish.

"How did you meet her?"

Magnus licked his lips. I had a feeling he wasn't letting on all that he knew either. Fine, so we could both play mind games. "She came here to see my band perform. She was so innocent, so beautiful. It was so easy to love her. I fell fast. And she felt the same for me. When is the last time you spoke to her?"

"A few weeks ago," I confessed. "Did you harm her?"

A look of pain shot across his face. I judged it to be genuine. "I didn't hurt Autumn. I loved her. I... we had a falling out. She stormed out. That was the last time I saw her. I have spent these last few weeks looking for her. But I haven't found her and that means she must be dead. I can not feel her presence anymore. I have my suspicions, but I don't know what happened to her."

"What did you and Autumn have your falling out over?"

Magnus didn't look at me as he answered. "I couldn't give her what she wanted." He went back to staring at the wall behind my head.

"What did she want?"

Suddenly his eyes focused back on me, and he became angry. "You ask too many questions. You don't belong here. Go home."

I didn't let my apprehension show. I was nervous and scared, but I had to know more. "How did you know I was watching you?"

"You? Watching me?" Magnus threw his head back in laughter. "Form the moment you first stepped foot in this club it is I who have been watching you."

"But I... you weren't even here the first night," I countered, caught off guard by his reply.

A slightly amused smile play across Magnus's lips. "I have ways of not being seen if I don't wish to be."

"How?" Was is possible that Magnus had been aware of my presence all along?

"A simple mind trick. You can stare straight at me, and I can fool your mind into thinking you never saw me at all." He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "I have many other tricks as well. A lot of people come through a place like this, and they all have hidden talents. They all have something to teach anyone who is willing to learn."

I was reminded of what Mauve had said about everyone at Obsidian having a story. I shivered.

"What else can you do?"

"Ah. That is a loaded question, I am afraid. And one best left unanswered for now."

But I wouldn't be swayed. I pressed him. "Who are you? What aren't you telling me about Autumn. Please, help me."

Magnus looked up at me from where he had been pretending to study his long black painted fingernails. "What is your name?" he asked, giving me a thoughtful stare.

Trying to once again hide my unease, I gulped. "Lavannah Savoy."

"Lavannah. Listen to me." Magnus leaned close and spoke in a hushed whisper. "There are some things in life you are better off not knowing. Autumn plunged herself too deeply into my world, and now it is too late to help her. Do not repeat her mistakes. Do yourself a favor and leave. Go back to the safe life you led in Boston, and leave this place to the people who belong here. I must go now. Take care." He got up to leave, red velvet cloak sweeping behind him.

"Wait. What makes you so sure she is dead?" I needed reassurance that Autumn could still be alive, even a glimer of hope to numb my pain.

But Magnus had disappeared, and the people in the club had gone back to talking and drinking and dancing and I was alone on the red couch, staring at the black walls and wondering what kind of world I had so unknowingly stumbled upon.

After my strange encounter with Magnus, I wasn't sure what I should do. I had acomplished my initial goal and identified the man in the picture Autumn had sent me, and yet I still wasn't even close to finding out where she was or what had happened to her. It seemed that everyone thought she was dead. And that was a thought I didn't want to have to deal with at the moment. Or ever.

I sat in my hotel room pondering what I knew so far. It wasn't much, what I could piece together from the little bit of information that Magnus had shared with me. He and Autumn had argued... had he followed her in rage and killed her? What had she wanted from him that was so important that he wouldn't tell me about? I knew my little sister, and I knew how stubborn she could be when it came to getting he way, but what on earth could be so important that she would throw away her relationship with Magnus because of it? There were questions spinning around in my head than there were answers, and tring to sort through it all was giving me a gigantic headache. I needed to talk to someone else. Someone who was perhaps more forethcoming with answers.

What other option was left to me? The people at Obsidian were obviously hiding something. The only thing I could think of to do was to go and visit Ersa.

So, I hired a cab to take me to the address in Coral Gables that was printed on the card Ersa had given me. Sitting through the ride, I tried to relax, but I kept wondering who exactly I was going to see, and whether or not I was walking straight into a lion's den. The whole situation in Miami was getting more and more dangerous with every new stone I unturned, but I couldn't help feeling something else as well. Excitement?

The cab driver let out a long appreciative whistle as we pulled up in front of a sprawling white mansion with a pool in the front yard and two sets of stairs leading to the front door. There was a circular driveway in front of the staircases, and I asked the driver to drop me off in front of it.

I paid the driver, got out, and then I stood at the bottom of one of the staircases for a minute as he pulled away, trying to gain composure and wondering how on earth Ersa had gotten to be so well off. And what exactly someone like him would be doing hanging out in a place like Obsidian. It didn't make any sense to me. I eventually shrugged it off, in the hopes that soon enough I would find out.

So, telling myself that I wouldn't find answers just standing there in Ersa's front yard, I took a deep breath, ascended the stairs, and knocked on the wide front door.

For a second I wondered if I should have called before coming over, but I didn't remember a phone number being listed on the card.

Almost immediately my knock was answered by a huge balding man in a gray suit. He didn't speak or invite me in; he just stared down at me with a bored expression on his face.

"Um," I stammered, unsure of exactly what to say. "I'm here to see Ersa Cohen."

The huge man stared at me for a few seconds. "And what business is it that you have with Mr. Cohen? If you're one of Magnus's people-" He started to turn away and shut the door.

"No, look," I said, fishing in my pocked for the card Ersa had handed to me in the club. "He gave me this about a week ago, and he told me I should come and talk to him..."

"Well then," the butler said, eyeing the card suspiciously. "If he told you to come a week ago, I suppose we'd best not keep him waiting any longer, don't you agree?" He stepped away from the door and beckoned for me to follow him inside.

"Into the lion's den," I thought as I entered the mansion.

The downstairs floor of the house was lavishly decorated, with velvet tapestries along the walls and a grand piano in one corner of the spacious entry room. Whoever Ersa was, he certainly liked to flaunt his good fortune. The butler led me through the entry room and up a flight of red carpeted stairs. The second floor was much less ostentatious, with simple wood paneled walls and hard wood floors.

We stopped in the middle of a large chamber that appeared to be a waiting room of sorts. Asking me to have a seat on one of the tan leather couches set along the walls, the butler disappeared through a set of double doors at the other end of the room. I sat and played with the sleeve of my jacket nervously. It wasn't long until the butler returned though, with the man I had met at Obsidian, Ersa Cohen.

Ersa smiled warmly when he saw me. "My dear!" He exclaimed, grasping my hands in greeting. "You decided to come to me. How wonderful! Vince, please, leave us." The butler nodded and went back downstairs. I have to admit that he had been an intimidating prescence and I could breath a little easier once he had gone. "Shall we talk in my office?" Ersa asked. Extending his arm, he started off towards the set of doors he and the butler had emerged from. Sparing him a brief smile, I took his arm and followed along.

Ersa's office was a spacious room, sparsely furnished, with a large window behind the desk that overlooked the front yard of the estate. "I saw you pull up. Do sit down," he remarked, taking a seat behind his cherry oak desk and indicating that I should have a seat in one of the chairs opposite him.

I decided to get straight to the point, choosing not to mince words with Ersa. "I want to know who Magnus is and what he's hiding."

Ersa drummed his fingers on the desk and considered my question before responding. "Very well. Magnus is a vampire."

Of all the answers Ersa could have given me, I can't say that that particular one had crossed my mind. "Magnus believes he is a vampire?"

Ersa chuckled. "No, Magnus is a vampire."

"Bullshit."

Ersa appeared hurt by my outburst of disbelief. "Fine, don't listen to me. I'm sure you can find your own way out." He turned and pretended to be studying something outside of the window.

Was there any chance that he could be telling the truth? Vampire? I shook my head. "And what exactly makes you think that Magnus is a vampire?"

Ersa didn't bother to turn around. "Let me remind you, dear, that you are far away from your safe little life in Boston. In your world, vampires, witches, and creatures of the underworld are stories and fables in books and movies, used to frighten the easily amused. But here, in this world, they are very real, and very dangerous." At this point Ersa turned back around and stared at me with such a look that I couldn't help but wonder if just maybe there was some truth behind his words. He continued. "You were warned to go home and stay clear of this, but since it is obvious you are not going to do that, will you hear me out? I can tell you what you want to know about Magnus, and in return you can grant me a favor. And just maybe, in the end, we will both get what we want out of this."

It took me several moments to digest what he had just said. I chose my next words carefully. "What do you know about what I want?"

"You want to know what happened to your sister, of course. Then let us help each other." I must say that I was intrigued.

"Tell me about Magnus."

"Magnus is still fairly young as vampires go. He was turned about twenty-five years ago. Vampires don't age, I'm sure you know that. He lives underneath Obsidian, and feeds on the blood of humans. He and your sister had an argument a few weeks ago, and no one has seen her since. He is the last person she was seen with."

Yes, I was aware of that last bit.

"What did they fight about?"

Ersa shrugged. "I don't know. Does it matter? It seems fairly logical to me that he killed her." I wasn't convinced of that, but I was curious to know what sort of bargain Ersa hoped to strike with me.

"And what do you want from me?"

Here Ersa paused. He smiled at me once more and I felt a shiver of fear go down my back. Something in his smile chilled me to the bone. "I want you to kill Magnus."

I gasped. My heart pounded. "Why?"

"I am, shall we say, a hunter of dark creatures. Magnus is an evil monster who kills for pleasure and he will do it again and again until he is stopped. I have been waiting for some time now for the right moment to take a strike at him. And I think the opportunity has arisen. Befriend him. Gain his trust. And when the time is right... kill him."

I was absolutely shocked. If Magnus had hurt Autumn he deserved death. But I wasn't a murderer. I was just a marketing executive from Boston who had never harmed anyone... but Autumn had never wished anyone harm either... and... Something hardened inside of me. Something cold and remorseless. A scowl crept across my face.

"How do I kill a vampire?" I asked.

Ersa smiled his chill and distant smile, and reached into a drawer on the left hand side of his desk. He pulled something out and pushed it across the desk to me.

It was a solid back colt semi-automatic pistol with a silencer attached. As beautiful a weapon as I had ever seen.

"Vampires may be immune to the aging process," Ersa explained, as I reached for the gun, "but if they lose a fair amount of blood, they die. Just like you or I. A bullet to the chest, Magnus bleeds to death, and we both are satisfied."

My fingers felt stiff and heavy as I picked up the gun. It felt odd. I had never held a gun before, much less fired one. "I don't know how to use this," I said, placing it back down on the table and shoving it back toward Ersa.

"You're a smart girl," Ersa replied. "You will grow acustomed to the feel of it. And I'm sure when the time is right you won't hesitate to... do what needs to be done to avenge your sister's death." He offered me one last frigid smile before bending over the computer on his desk. "Now if you will excuse me, I am a busy man..."

I took that as a hint to leave and stuffed the gun in my pocket. As that cold hard feeling inside of me intensified I told myself that people can change. I had certainly changed since stepping onto that plane in Boston. And I had a notion that I had much more changing to do before my dealings at Club Obsidian were finished.

That evening I paced the floor of my hotel room, wondering just when my life had become so complicated. And so twisted. Just weeks earlier I would never have dreamed that I would be walking around in a hotel room in Miami, carrying a gun. I wasn't actually thinking of killing Magnus, was I? And I still didn't know that Magnus had done anything to harm Autumn. Wait. Had I really come to the conclusion like everyone else, that she was dead? How could I blame someone for a crime that I wasn't even sure had been comitted? Especially someone like him...

If I had know what was good for me, I would have packed my bags and left for Boston that very night. But every time I thought about leaving, thoughts of Magnus flew into my head and I couldn't push them out. There was an undeniable attraction there, and regardless if he had done any wrong to Autumn or not... I had to see him again.

So that night found me back at Obsidian, searching for the man I couldn't seem to stop thinking about.

Walking through those door was something I will never forget. The club... beautiful, magical, it felt so right stepping through those doors. I felt like Obsidian was some strange and wonderous thing I had longed for my entire life and now it was here for the taking. Every other club I had visited in Miami had felt awkward and unomfortable to me, but this club... this club felt like home. I belonged here. I stood a moment to savor the lights, the music and the visual symphony that was alive all around me.

When my sense finally cleared, and I was able to descend from the natural high I had created for myself, I went in search of Magnus.

I found Mauve at the bar conversing with a couple of other Obsidian regulars. "Where is Magnus?" I asked her.

She eyed me with cool nonchalance as she sipped her drink and pretended to be disinterested. "What makes you think he wants to talk to you?"

I was impatient. "Just tell me where I can find him."

"You know Magnus. He'll find you." Smirking, she went back to her friends, leaving me frustrated and unsure of what to do.

Of course, she was right. In the end, Magnus found me.

He startled me by coming up behind me and speaking softly into my ear. "And you have returned. Why?"

I didn't have to turn around to recognize that softly seductive voice. The resonance of it caused my blood to race and my heart to skip a beat. But there was no warmth in my voice. I wanted the truth and I wanted it quickly. "I know who and what you are," I said. "Take us somewhere private. We need to talk."

On anyone else, I would have described the look that Magnus displayed as startlement. "Who have you talked to?" he demanded.

I just shrugged and tried to look bored. "My sister told me."

Magnus signed. "Very well. Come with me." He began walking toward the door at end of the little hallway at the back of the club.

Just watching him move caused my breath to catch in my throat. How could anything so beautiful be so evil? "Are you coming?"

"Yes." At that moment I believe I would have followed him into the depths of hell, if only for the chance to be one step closer to him. No one before had anyone ever captivated me the way this man did. I wasn't sure how to handle this sudden loss of rational thought. So I followed him, through the door and down a flight of stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs was a set of rooms, dark and stone walled, and it was into the bedroom that he led me, motioning for me to enter and then closing the door behind us, and locking it with a key he produced from the pocket of the red velour jacket he wore.

Once the door had been closed closed behind us, we were encased in total darkness, save for the light of a few candles set in brackets along the walls. The room was completely windowless. There was a bed in one corner, sporting black satin sheets and a beautiful velvet bedspread. Though the room was sparce, it held a strange sense of elegance and taste.

"And here I thought Vampires slept in coffins," I said with a smile.

The joke seemed to lighten the tension between us a bit. "Ah. Coffins make very uncomfortable sleeping arrangements when it comes to the joys of the flesh, I'm afraid. I also don't melt in the sunlight. I'm sensitive to the sun's rays, and I burn easily, but a little sunlight every once in a while won't kill me."

"Hmm..," I remarked. "Can you change into a bat?"

"Only in my dreams. Now. Sit wherever you like and tell me what it is you want from me."

I noticed that he remained standing. Feeling a bit unnerved, I took a seat on the bed since it was the only place to sit besides the floor. "Tell me what happened the night that you and Autumn got into a fight."

He gazed at the wall behind me, almost as if he could see something there that I could not. His voice was smooth and seductive, and I had to force myself to concentrate on the subject matter at hand. "The one thing I would not give her was the only thing she wanted from me."

That answer didn't help me. "Don't give me riddles, Magnus. I want answers."

"Why should I tell you anything?" he asked, turning on me.

I didn't hesitate before answering. "Because you loved my sister. And because we're after the same goal. We both want to know what happened to her."

Magnus cooled his expression. I sensed that he didn't want to tell me what he was about to say. But he took a deep breath and began. "She wanted to be a vampire. She wanted immortality. It became her obsession. I told her that vampires are not completely immortal and that this life isn't a life I would wish on anyone. I didn't ask for it. And I won't give this curse to anyone else, much less someone I care about. But Autumn was a dreamer. And she only saw what she wanted to see. She made vampires out to be heoroic, indestructible creatures that legends were made of. She had fantastic notions of a romantic life for her and I as do-good vampires for all of eternity."

I smiled. "That sounds like my sister. Always the romantic at heart. Carefree and emotional. Go on."

"But I refused to turn her and nothing would change my mind. She got angry with me, and she left. I fear she went to my enemy when she fled here that night."

So now the story took on a new twist. "Your enemy?" I questioned.

The gaze Magnus fixed me with was harsh and calculating. For a moment I thought he wasn't going to answer me. He did however, after a slight pause. "His name is Ersa Cohen. I suppose you could call him a vampire hunter of sorts. He was the manager of Bella Costa, my band. When I learnedwho he really was, I fired him. But still he chases after me. He has been on my trail since I came to Obsidian over fifteen years ago."

I stiffened at the mention of Ersa's name. Very interesting indeed. Pressing him for more informantion, I pretended that I had never heard of Ersa Cohen.

"What is Ersa's problem with you? Why does he want you dead?"

"Ersa's father was killed by Nevala, the vampire who created me. Ever since then, Ersa has made it his personal task to avenge his father's murder. And since he can not find Nevala, he lets the sins of my creator fall onto me. I have never personally harmed Ersa or anyone he loves, and I am not Nevala. Ersa does not care for such minor details. He is an obbsessive coward who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, yet is too chicken to make a strike at me himself. So he hires his underlings to get to me, but they all fail. In fact, thier attempts to kill me have been so sloppy that I can almost believe Ersa set them up for failure. When Ersa makes his final bid at me, he will do so himself. What Ersa doesn't understand is that killing me will not satisfy his lust for revenge."

I thought of the bargain Ersa had struck with me. "So if this Ersa is such a threat to you, why don't you just kill him yourself?"

By the exasperated sigh he let out, Magnus obviously thought that the answer to that should have been relevant to me. "Because the world has enough death and suffering in it as it is. It does not need any help from me. And I don't want Ersa's blood on my hands. Yes, before you interrupt, I am a vampire. I do drink blood, and human blood at that. But I do not kill my victims. My humans come willingly to me, patrons and friends of Obsidian who know who and what I am. I drink only what they can safely spare, not a drop more. If I must, I can send a person into a hypnotic state, drink a safe amount of their blood, and when they wake up they will not remember me. But I have rarely have to resort to that now that I own Obsidian. Ersa frequents the club, but he just watches and waits. He never tries to harm anyone. The day he does, I might see things differently, but for now I'm content to let him be."

It was a heroic tale, I had to admit. But I couldn't just let go of all of my preconcieved notions about Vampires being bloodthirsty killers. I yelled at him. "You are evil by nature! A creature of the undead! "

"No." Magnus remained calm, trying to persuade me to see things from his perspective. "We each have the power to chose if we will do good or evil, the same as you do. Simply being a vampire does not make me evil. Nevala is evil because he chooses to do evil things. I am not Nevala. I stay within my own little world here, and I leave the outside world alone. I help the people who come to Obsidian. For everyone who comes here comes here for a reason. I am quite insignificant in the grand scheme of things and I am happy to leave it that way."

I shook my head, unconvinced. "You are still evil. It doesn't matter what you say, or how innocent you make yourself out to be. You can deny who and what you are."

Still, Magnus continued. "There is a balance that exists between good and evil. There is a constant struggle between the two which has lasted since the beginning of man, and will exsist as long as man walks the earth. I believe that neither can ever "win" against the other. The balance is important, for if either one ever were to prevail against the other, the world would be thrown into chaos. And "Satan" or "the Devil" is not a physical being with horns who parades around in hell. Satan is another name for the evil that man creates by his thoughts and actions. For in a world with no man, there is no evil. Nature and animals are neither good nor evil. They simply exist in neutrality."

"And I am just supposed to go along with you and believe that?" Now it was obvious that I was beginning to get on his last nerve.

Believe what you will," Magnus said, unlocking the door to his room and opening it. "If you truly think that I am evil, then I have nothing more to say to you."

I got up from the bed. "Fine," I said. "I will leave, but first answer one more question, and answer it honestly. Did you kill my sister?"

"No."

"Very well. Good bye."

And I left, lost in my feelings of ambivalence and unsure of what to think anymore.

I spent the following afternoon walking the beautiful shores of South Beach, asking myself the same questions over and over again and finding no answers. I was searching for peace and tranquility in a world where maddness and chaos reigned supreme. Frustrated, I sat on the sand at the water's edge and let my thoughts wander. Conceptions of right and wrong swam around and around in my head, and I despite my resolve to banish the vampire's rightious notions from my mind, I found myself questioning the beliefs I had always had about the cold hard line between good and evil. Was there any way he could be even somewhat right in his theories? And if he was correct, what did that mean to me?

Still, it seemed that no matter what side tracks my thoughts ran off on, they always ended up back on one thing. Magnus himself. I had to face the fact that I was hopelessly in love with him and there was nothing I could do to change that. So, as the sun began to set and the far off colors of the horizon changed from shades of blue and gold to purple and pink, I knew what I had to do.

At dusk I flew through the doors of the club, my heart racing, running and not bothering to slow down until I had gone down the hallway, ascended the stairs, and reached the door to Magnus' private rooms. The bedroom door was open, so I invited myself inside and shut it behind me. Magnus was seated cross legged on the bed, watching me with open amusement.

"I knew you would come."

"Magnus," I said, making my way over to the bed and taking a seat next to him. "I've been doing a lot of thinking, about good and evil and about myself. And I've come to the conclusion that good and evil can be found in everyone. I'm no one to judge anyone else, or mark them as one or the other. And I'm willing to at least consider the fact that what you told me may be true. I'm sorry for what I said last night, and I hope that you can forgive me."

Magnus brought his hand up and carefully caressed my cheek. His saphire eyes caught my gaze and held it. "You are very much like Autumn," He said, slowly, brushing my hair with his fingertips. "I miss her, Levannah."

"I miss her too," I said, leaning into his caress and basking in the gesture of affection.

"Magnus," I said. He waited silently for me to speak. "I am falling for you," I told him. "I didn't want to. But I can't stop myself. You're all I can think about. Nothing can keep me away form you, or away form this place. Something keeps bringing me back. I feel restless when I leave, anxious, and now, being here, and being with you, I am content."

Magnus remained silent. He stood up, but he did not take his hand from my face. He studied me, and I would have given anything to have been able to know what he was thinking.

"Take me," I pleaded, standing with him.

"No," he said.

"Why?" Tears were coming to my eyes, though I tried to hold them back.

Magnus shook his head slowly. "If I were to take you to my bed now it would only be because you remind me of Autumn."

"I don't care! Please, I don't care about anything anymore but you."

And suddenly the wall between us was shattered. Magnus held out his hands."Come here."

As I stepped forward and Magnus placed his hands upon my waist, a shiver of icy fire ran down my spine. It was a sensation I will never forget as long as I walk this earth. Every nerve in my body stood on end and cried out for more. I need him in a way that I couldn't contain any longer.

Gently, I felt his fingertips brush my thighs. "Oh my god." It was all I could do to remain standing. My body went weak and I found myself collapsing into his arms. His tongue slowly made its way along my neck as his hands moved gently down my back, finding the clasp of my bra, undoing it. He whispered in my ear and I pressed myself in closer to him, and felt his body respond. My fingers were sliding down under his shirt to his waistline, undressing him, and I suddenly gasped as I felt his teeth lightly sink into the flesh of my neck.

"It is ok," he said softly. "I will not draw blood."

Our lips met and the sweet, seductive kiss began; hungry, wanting. I moaned as he laid me on the bed and slowly lowered himself on top of me. The heat of him was unbearable, yet I was so completely unable to tear myself away. Pleasure and pain collided into one solid sensation of rapture as he moved ever so gently, then faster, harder, and I found myself lost in the sight, the scent, the feel of him. I surrendered completely to it.

Afterward, we lay on his bed, gasping for breath, exhilerated.

Even after our bodies had cooled down, we continued to lay together, just enjoying each other's company and not wanting the feeling we had shared to end. For me it had been magnificent, like nothing I had ever before experienced.

I could have laid in that bed and watched Magnus forever. His breathing was slow, and he was relaxed. He was silent, gazing at me, but I had many questions still on my mind.

I broke the magic spell of desire around us by speaking. "How does a person become a vampire?" I asked, out of curiosity.

Magnus was slow to respond, all most as if he were trying to catch the last trailing whisp of magic as it floated away with my words. "They must drink the blood of a vampire," he said simply, turning to face me on the bed.

"That's all? The vampire doesn't have to drink from them first?" I was remembering tales from my childhood of bloodthirsty villians.

"No," Magnus said. And he was silent, reflective.

"You said that you did not want to become a vampire," I prompted, hoping he would take that as a cue to tell me more. I wanted to know all about his past, who he had been, the things he had done.

"I did not. Nevela, my creator, is many years older than I am and many times stronger and more powerful. He takes what he wants with little regard for anyone else. He found me one night and he fed on me. And then, just because he could, he forced me to drink from him, making me what I am today. He was a cruel master and I left him as soon as I was able to fend for myself."

Hmm, I thought. "Where is Nevala now?"

"I haven't the slightest idea. I haven't seen or heard from him in years."

Sensing that that particular topic was a bit painful for him, I changed the subject. "You also said that you help the people who come to Obsidian."

That question brought a sparkle to Magnus's eyes that I hadn't seen before. "Yes. No one who comes here seeking aid is refused. Different people from different wakes of life are attracted to Obsidian. Some of them have special abilities or powers, such as vampires, magicians, or witches, and some are simply social outcasts or people who have made bad choices in life. I do my best to help them find whatever it is they are seeking. In fact, I have made it my goal in life. Perhaps I believe that if I do enough to help people maybe I can somehow make up for the sins of my creator. They pay me, of course. Sometimes with blood and sometimes with magic or knowledge."

"What do you mean when you say that people are attracted to Obsidian?"

"I believe that everything that happens to us in life happens for a reason. Though we may not realize the reason for days, weeks, months, or many years, it will in time become apparant. And we may not agree with the things that happen or like them, eventually I believe it will all work out for the better. For some things are meant to be. We go down many false paths in our lives, but sooner or later some little minute thing, some twist of fate, will eventually throw us back onto the path we were meant to take. It could be a phone call to the right person at the right time, a chance meeting, or something even less significant. But all roads eventually lead back to the same place. And for some, that place is Obsidian."

That was information I decided to store for later contemplation. There was something else I was burning to know. "Mauve... who is she?"

At the mention of her name, Magnus' put his hands to his lips and smiled. "Mauve has the power to see into the future, and sometimes, the past. She has little to no control over her visions. She came to me months ago, seeking refuge from an abusive father. She needed guidance badly, for the visions were taking over her life and turning her into something she did not want to be. She can come off as rude and introverted little brat to some people, but those who know her know there is a tenderness and long surpressed need for love inside of Mauve that is equal to nothing on this earth."

I fought back an subconscious pang of jealousy at his obvious affection for the girl. "And did you help her?" I questioned.

"I taught her to have some control over her gift, but the visions still frighten her sometimes. You see, I can only do so much. Eventually the people who come here have to figure things out for themselves and solve their own problems."

His answers satisfied me, and I moved closer to him, so that I could lay my head on his chest.

I must have dozed off at that point, for the next thing I remember was waking to find Magnus fully dressed and standing beside the bed. "Here," he said softly, handing me my pants. "You should be going soon."

"Yeah." I stood up and ran a hand through my tousled hair in a vain etempt to striaghten it. As I reached out to take my clothes from the vampire, something fell out of one of the pockets of my pants, and Magnus bent to retrieve it.

"What is this?," he asked, picking it up and studying it. It was a small card with some writing on it.

My heart froze in my chest. I didn't know what to say. "I uh, well eh..."

Angrily, Magnus stormed over to where I was standing, trembling, and stoved the card into my hands. "You've met with Ersa," he exclaimed, as a darkness came over his face.

"I, Magnus..." How could I expain?

It didn't matter. Magnus wasn't listening. He was circling the room in hurt and rage. "You lied to me. You betrayed me. Your sister didn't tell you about me. Ersa did. He sent you to kill me!"

I had to make him understand. Words tumbled out of my mouth. "But I didn't! It's not like you think. I met Ersa the first night came here looking for you, and I thought he could lead me to Autumn. I didn't know you, or anything about you. I didn't know what was going to happen. Please, Magnus, you have to trust me. I-"

"You want my advice? Go home. Get the hell out of Miami. You don't belong here. Forget about Autumn. Forget about me, forget about Ersa and everything you know about Club Obsidian. You'll be better off that way." Magnus had come to a halt just inches from where I was standing, and as he leaned closer to me with every word he spoke, I could feel the sting of his harsh words even more acutely, and it drove the hurt I felt at his anger anger towards me even deeper into my soul. Still, I would not back down to him.

"I can not do that," I said. "I won't leave until I find out what happened to Autumn!"

Magnus turned on me then, with a look of such velocity that I took a step back in fear. "Your sister is dead! Does it matter what happened to her? Knowing what happened won't give her her life back and digging around where you don't belong just might cost you yours!"

"You don't know that," I said, as tears began running down my face. "You don't know that she's dead. And if I find out that you hurt her I'll-"

"Levannah!" Magnus stepped up behind me and grabbed me by the shoulder. "I'm giving you a chance to go home and get yourself out of this mess. That's more than Ersa would give you. Do you think he would just let you walk away, knowing what you do already? After you failed to kill me? Ersa is a very evil man. If you want your witch hunt, look no further than Ersa Cohen. And if you really want to know what happened to Autumn, maybe you should ask him."

"You're hurting me," I sobbed, twisting away from Magnus' grasp.

"Get out," he said, turning away from me. "Don't come back here again."

"No, listen-"

"LEAVE!" Magnus roared, throwing my clothes at me.

I couldn't stand to be there any longer. Heartbroken and devastated, I somehow managed to get my clothes on, and then I fled Obsidian.

A world without Magnus suddenly seemed dark and oppressive. I almost couldn't imagine what my life had been like before he had been thrown into it, bringing with him the promise of a life full of contrasting danger and seduction, love and betrayal, hope and helplessness, darkness and light. I knew that I couldn't go back to Club Obsidian. But I also knew that returning to Boston was out of the question. Now that I had had a taste of this morbid yet heoroic world I was fascinated by it and going back to my former mundane existence no longer interested me in the slightest. This was where I belonged. Sometime over the past week I had accepted and acknowledged that.

I spent the next several weeks browsing the Miami Herald for jobs, making phone calls, setting up interviews, and searching for an apartment. It wasn't the thrilling experience of spending every night with the dark and dangerous crowd at Club Obsidian, but I was still here in the city that was host to it all, and I was happy just for that. I missed Magnus, and I thought of him constantly, but I forced myself to continue on without him. It was a simple thing to do during the daytime, but the lonely nights sometimes made me wonder what he was doing, and I found myself dreaming of the dark and beautiful club. However, as the days went by I thought of him less and less and the open wound that he had left in my heart slowly began to close.

I still thought about Autumn, and how I had never solved the mystery of her disappearance. By that time I had come to terms with the fact that she was most likely dead, but I had shed my tears and that wound too eventually began to heal and slowly fade away.

One night, as I was on my way home from yet another interview in downtown Miami, I began to think that since I was planning on making a permanent home of the city, I should go out and meet some people. I had the evening free, so I stopped and picked up a copy of a local entertainment publication and flipped through it in search of somewhere to go that evening. I quickly browsed through the theatre section, and I didn't feel like going to a movie. There had to be somewhere I could catch live music, it was a Friday night.

Near the back of the magazines were a few ads for local bands performing that week around town. Perfect. I scanned several of them without really taking any notice, until one in particular caught my eye. I made myself go back and slowly read it out loud.

"Bella Costa performs live at Club Obsidian, Thursday October... that's tonight!"

In an instant, memories of Magnus and Obsidian came flooding back into my mind, and the wound that had just recently begun to close was ripped wide open again. All I could think about was how I would give anything to see him one final time... but no. I needed to stay as far away from Magnus and his club as possible, if I wanted to have any chance of ever getting over him. I would not let myself go back there. But suddenly another thought occurred to me...

Ersa. Ersa was waiting for the right time to take down Magnus. And what better place to get in and out unnoticed than Obsidian during a Bella Costa show? The club was bound to be packed and no one would be paying attention to anything other than the people on stage... and one person in particular...

"Oh my god," I said to myself. Ersa is going to try to kill Magnus tonight! I have to warn him!"

Without giving it a second thought, I turned and hailed a cab back to my hotel. I had just enough time to go home, change, pick up the gun Ersa had given me, and hail a ride to Miami Beach. So that's exactly what I did. The gun felt was a cold hard weight in my pocket, but this time there was no doubt in my mind about it. If need be, I wouldn't hesitate even for a moment to use it.

The cab ride was tourture. I kept wondering if I was too late. But the driver finally pulled up in front of the familiar black marble facade, and as I stepped out, I prepared myself for what could turn out to be a very long night.

Upon entering the club, I realized I had been correct in my assumption that the club would be packed. In fact, I had never seen so many people at Obsidian before. The dance floor was a solid wall of people waiting for Bella Costa to go on. As I strode onto the dance floor, I looked around, wondering how in the world I was going to get through all of those people and find Magnus. There were people running around on the stage, hauling equipment away, and I gathered that meant that the opening band had just completed their set and that Bella Costa had yet to take the stage. Good, I wasn't too late.

"Levannah!" Hearing my name, I turned to see Mauve running toward me. She was clearly upset; sweat was running down her face and making her makup run, and she look as if she had been crying.

"Mauve," I called, "please help me! I need to find Magnus. I think Ersa is going to try to kill him!"

But she wasn't listening. There was a strange look in her eyes, like she wasn't completely herself. "Levannah, I had a vision. Something bad is going to happen tonight. I... I saw you die." Suddenly she turned and fled off into the crowd.

Desperate, I cried after her, "Mauve, wait! Mauve!"

I tried to make my way closer to the stage but it was hard to get through the crowd of people on the dance floor. I thought I caught a glimpse of Bella Costa's drummer setting up, and I took that as a sign that the band would take the stage soon.

Mauve's words frightened me. But I had come to Obsidian with a purpose, and once that purpose was served, it mattered little whether I survived or not. I continued scanning the crowd for Magnus.

I didn't hear or sense it coming. One second I was watching the stage and trying to inch closer, all the while keeping an eye out for Magnus, and the next someone had clasped their hand over my mouth and someone else was holding my hands behind my back. "Be a good girl and keep quiet. We're going for a nice little walk outside." I looked up to see Vince, Ersa's huge bodyguard standing behind me, while two other strong looking men restrained me. "Walk," Vince said, and I felt the end of a pistol being pressed against my back. They left me no choice but to obey.

Quickly my three abductors led me out of the club and into a shadowed alleyway nearby. There I was shoved violently to the ground, where I found myself licking blood form my lip and staring up at a pair of shiny leather boots.

"We meet again," Ersa said, looking down at me. I tried to reach for the gun in my pocket, but one of Ersa's gaurds backhanded me across the face, leaving me groggy and disoriented, while another kicked me in the ribs, knocking the breath out of me.

"You disappointed me, Lavannah," Ersa said. "I had faith that you could be the one who helped me take Magnus down. But in the end you betrayed me. Just like Autumn did."

"What?" I could barely manage a whisper. "Autumn..."

"Yes, I made your sister an offer. You see, she was my lover before she met Magnus. Half my estate I promised her if she could seduce the evil vampire and kill him when he was off guard. It would have been an easy thing, to kill him in his sleep. And the ultimate betrayal to Magnus. But your sister was soft. She actually began to have feelings for Magnus. In the end, however, the lust for immortality almost drove her mad. She begged Magnus to turn her into a vampire. When he refused her, she made her fatal mistake. She came to me, thinking I would sympathize with her after she had failed me so miserably. I had to do away with her, of course. And then you came along. It was quite simple to pin Autumn's death on Magnus and try and win you over to my side. I could sense that you were stronger than Autumn. But I actually believe that you came to love the vampire. So now, my dear, I'm afraid that it is time for me to finish this nonsense off myself. I can't trust anyone, and I suppose, in reality, it was a job I had to do myself all along. Of course, I'm afraid that means you're going to have to die."

I saw him reach for the gun a split second before it was too late, and I twisted slightly to the left, praying it would be enough. The bullet grazed my side, and I forced myself to lie still on the pavement, even though the pain was excruciating and I felt like screaming. It was enough to fool Ersa and his mob. I saw him put the gun back into his pocket and turn away form me, satisfied that I would no longer be a threat to his plans.

"The band is starting to play," I could hear Vince saying. "Let's take the back entrance. It's bound to be less heavily guarded. We can deal with the guard there and then go for Magnus."

I listened to their retreating footsteps. Even after I knew they were gone, it was several minutes before I was able to get my bearings and try to move. The pain had not abated and I was getting feverish. My right side was wet and sticky with blood, and I must have looked like death. But I knew I only had minutes to try and get to Magnus. Whatever happened after that didn't matter.

I forced myself onto my knees, and then slowly, ever so slowly, I crawled my way to the back entrance of Obsidian, where I painfully struggled to pull out my gun. Ersa had already been there and shot the guard posted at the door. Gun in hand, I crawled over the body and entered the club. Bella Costa was on stage, and I was running out of time.

Frantically, I scanned the club for signs of Ersa. I figured he had probably tried to maneuver his way to the front of the crowd, in hopes of getting the best possible shot at Magnus. Since he had a silencer on his gun, his best chance of killing Magnus without drawing attention to himself would be to bury himself in the crowd, fire, and then flee when the pandemonium ensued.

For an instant I could see Magnus on the stage with his band, and the sigh of him was enough to give me the strength to carry on. Hearing his voice and knowing that he was safe, at least for the moment was all the motivation Icould ask for, and all of the encouragement I needed. Though I didn't know if it would be enough, I would give everything inside of me to keep him safe from harm.

Gradually, I inched toward the side of the stage. There were a set of stairs built into the stage there, and if I could manage to climb them, I thought I might be able to walk along behind the speakers and reach Magnus before anyone noticed me. By that time my head was spinning and my strength was waning fast. Reaching the stairs, I stumbled on the first one and had to resort to scaling them on my hands and knees, leaving a trail of blood behind me. Luckily there were only four of them. Once I reached the stage floor, I didn't even give myself a second to catch my breath before darting out of sight behind the speakers. Then, one step at a time, ignoring the pain in my side, I made my way to the center of the stage until I was behind and slightly to the left of Magnus.

And then, I saw Ersa. He was in the middle of the crowd, just as I thought he would be. He was reaching into his pocket. I had no time to think. Gathering my last bit of strength, I held my gun out at the crowd, shot, and threw myself at Magnus just as Ersa pulled his gun out and fired. I saw Ersa stagger as my bullet hit, just an instant before I slammed into the vampire, who stumbled backwards as the bullet Ersa had shot hit me square in the chest and we both went sprawling backwards onto the stage floor. There was a blur of movement as Bella Costa's guitarist leapt off of the stage with a speed that wasn't humanly possible, into the scattering crowd. I couldn't move, couldn't find the strength to even raise my head. The world was spinning around me.

"Magnus," I breathed, trying to hold on to whatever last bit of dying strength was left to me. "I didn't get to tell you this before, and now it doesn't matter. But I don't care who you are or what you have done or what you will do. I love you, and love doesn't come with terms and conditions. There is no other kind of love but unconditional love. If it isn't unconditional, it isn't love. And I can't imagine having ever lived in a world without you in it." My words trailed off as the last of my breath escaped me, and though the tears were running down my face, the pain from my wounds had temporarily faded, I had accomplished my goal, and I was happy.

Then Magnus was lifting me up, until I was lying across his knee. And suddenly his wrist was in front of me, with fresh blood flowing from a new wound. "Drink," he said, "Drink or you will die."

My consciousness was slowly fading. As my life's blood seeped out onto the stage floor, I took his offered wrist and lay my lips upon it, greedily taking in the offer of eternal life. I could feel the new, foreign blood flowing through me, intoxicating me, as I drank ravenously, refusing to stop for breath.

"Stop," he suddenly shouted, jerking his wrist away from my mouth. "You will poison yourself if you drink too much."

My body was too weak to protest. I slowly sank back down to the stage floor, and there the pain overtook me. I screamed in agony as every fiber of my body began to pulse with a pain so intense that I couldn't think of anything else. I forgot who I was, where I was, and time slowed to a crawl.

"Be calm," a voice said softly from far away. "Your body is dying, but it will soon awaken again."

"What happened to Ersa?" Another voice asked.

"I don't know. He was wounded, but he managed to escape during the confusion after the shots were fired. Prysm went after him, but I can't imagine he got very far. Everyone broke for the door after Levannah was shot, and it was complete chaos down there. I imagine Ersa will be back though, probably sooner than later."

The last thing I remember seeing was the brilliant saphire light in Magnus's eyes as the pain reached a climax, and the floor went out from underneath me as the blackness came and carried me away, into the depths of whatever hell I had just abandoned myself to.