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"What's taking him so long?" Kayla muttered under her breath as she sat perched on the edge of a tree branch, shifting anxiously. He was late. As always. At the base of the tree, a white she-wolf whined, placing her head on her paws.

"If you're hungry, go find something to eat," Kayla sighed, "but if it's Cal, drag him here by the leg. Sink your teeth in as much as you can." The she-wolf pushed herself up, stretched her legs, and trotted off into the woods.

With another sigh, Kayla tried pulling herself up to the next branch, her arms straining. She dug the toes of her shoes into the tree bark, struggling to find a good grip and a good hold. Pieces of bark rained down on the forest floor. She gave up and dangled from the branch, the fear of falling attacking her mind. "I've never been good with trees," she muttered.

"Need some help?" a voice asked from below. Kayla jumped with fright and felt her hands slip. Before she good adjust, she fell, screaming all the way down. She prepared herself to hit the ground, but instead, fell into a pair of arms which, she assumed, belonged to the owner of the voice that made her fall.

"Careful now," the voice said, chuckling. Kayla looked up and saw a young man about her age.

"Th-that wasn't funny, Cal," Kayla stammered. She was shaking like a leaf in the wind, raw fear pumping through her veins.

The she-wolf darted out of the woods over to the twosome, hackles raised and a growl emanating from her throat.

"It's okay Kyrie, it's just Cal," Kayla said, pushing herself away from Cal.

"Yeah, Valkyrie, it's just me," Cal teased.

The white she-wolf barked at Cal, teeth bared.

"You be nice," Kayla said, but whether she was talking to Valkyrie or Cal was unknown. The girl dusted herself off and walked over to the white she-wolf, kneeling down and rubbing the she-wolf's ears. She turned to Cal and said, "I believe you have something for me?"

"Uh, yeah," Cal replied, slapping his pockets. "It's here somewhere."

"Don't pop it," Kayla said, wincing and pushing herself.

"Here it is." Cal pulled out a plastic bag full of a dark liquid and tossed over to Kayla who barely caught it. "Careful, I went through a lot to get that."

"I bet." Kayla unzipped the bag and sniffed, gagging. "This is the worst smell ever."

"Just pretend it's melted dark chocolate."

"But I hate dark chocolate." Pinching her nose, Kayla tipped her head back and poured the bag's content down her throat, shuddering. She could feel the liquid burning down her throat all the way down to her stomach. The bitter taste remained on her tongue. God knew how long it would take to get it off. "Ick," she grimaced.

Cal laughed. "Well, what do you expect, vampire? Candy?"

Kayla stuck her tongue out at him. Even though the taste was foul and made her feel sick, it made her feel full. No cravings, no unfulfilled lusts...That was all she needed.

Valkyrie whimpered, grazing Kayla's leg with a dirty white paw.

"I'm okay, Kyrie," Kayla said, stroking the she-wolf's head. "I don't know how you can stand that stuff." Valkyrie cocked her head to the side, tail wagging. Kayla scratched the white wolf's ears, a smile tugging at her lips. "Go on home. I'll see you there. Don't make too much noise."

Valkyrie barked in agreement and trotted off, tail wagging.

"She's like a puppy," Cal chuckled.

"Yeah, a puppy who could rip you to shreds if you lay a finger on me," Kayla fought back.

"Come on now, Kayla, it won't be bad. It'll be over before you know it," he purred, stroking Kayla's shoulder.

"Get off me, you creep!" Kayla pushed his hands away none too gently.

"You owe me for all that blood I've gotten you and all the trouble I had to go through to get it." Cal advanced even closer, stroking the young girl's hair. "After all, I'm doing this out of the kindness of my heart."

"You're only doing this for sex, you and me both know that," Kayla said, evading Cal's lingering hand. "You're my best friend, I don't love you like that."

A frown crossed Cal's face, "That's not how all the other vampires are."

"Well, I'm not like that!" Kayla screeched, smacking the young man across the face. "Besides, the only thing I owe you is money!"

"But I never said how you had to get it to me." Cal grabbed the vampire's arms as she started to run, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Just a few nights should do. Everything you would normally earn goes to me, and then you won't have to pay anymore." One of his hands wandered down her neck, lightly touching her skin. Kayla winced away from his touch. "If you like, we can start tonight."

Kayla's eyes widened, and she started to squirm as his hand ventured lower and lower down her throat. Her wrist slipped out his grasp, and her fist went flying to his face, connecting with Cal's nose with a crack.

Blood splattered to ground and all over Kayla's shirt. Her throat went dry; the blood lust was coming back.

"Dammit, Kayla! Look what you did!" Cal clutched his broken nose, blood seeping through his fingers.

"Sorry Cal," Kayla said, tears streaming down her face, "but I'm not a prostitute, and if that's the only way to pay you, then I'll get blood myself." She turned and ran, sheer terror running through her body. It became harder to swallow as the lust fought its way out, but Kayla resisted. She could feel her energy draining away faster than ever. All she needed was to close her eyes for a few minutes...

Her eyelids started to close and her steps faltered. Kayla shook herself awake, desperately pushing off sleep.

"You gotta make it home first," she told herself.

She urged herself on, but the lack of energy was too much for her to handle. Her feet caught under her, and she fell to the ground, already asleep.