Chapter One
The average built man walked down the sidewalk of Queens, New York. The sun set a couple of hours earlier and a light drizzle fell from the sky. The weatherman called for a mixture of rain and snow throughout the night, but the temperature did not drop enough yet to snow yet. He pulled the hood of his jacket low across his forehead and peered out from underneath. The man seemed to walk with purpose as he moved gracefully through the night.
Other residents of the city moved past him as they hurried to get out of the cold and the rain. He cursed when a man bumped into him as he rushed to get out of the weather.
"Mortals," he mumbled under his breath as he continued along the sidewalk.
Some twenty feet ahead of him a woman walked with her umbrella held above her. She struggled to keep the umbrella steady as the brisk wind blew her umbrella around and rain pelted her in the face. Her high heels did little to aid her walk and she stumbled as one of the heels snapped off when she stepped in a crack.
"Damnit," she said as she stopped to pick up the broken heel. She moved to the side of the building she was next to and leaned against it as she took off her other shoe then snapped the heel from it. "I should have worn flats tonight."
The man slowed when he saw her stumble and waited for her to start moving again. He could smell her perfume floating on the brisk winter air as he watched her. His blood boiled within him as he thought about her scent and her taste. The mysterious man continued following her as she regained her composure and moved down the sidewalk at a rapid pace.
She looked at her watch and her pace picked up. She was going to be late for an appointment and cursed herself for leaving so late, and for wearing the wrong shoes. The man continued to follow her and smiled when she turned into an alleyway in an attempt to take a shortcut.
She walked briskly through the alley and carefully stepped around piles of garbage strewn about. A drunk leaned against the wall and held out a small cup as if begging for any handout that she would be willing to give. Disgust filled her and she quickly moved past the him. She turned and looked at the man, paranoid that he might follow her. He did not follow though, but rather pulled his makeshift poncho up over his head in an attempt to stay warm and dry.
As she turned her head back around, she slammed into something and came to a sudden halt. She screamed quietly and tried to back up.
"My pardon miss," the voice was calm and soothing. The man's eyes looked at her from underneath the rim of his hood. "I didn't mean to frighten you."
She was winded from the surprise encounter and tried to catch her breath.
"Do you need some help?" he asked her as she clutched at her umbrella with one hand and her purse with another.
"No, I just need to be going. I am running late enough already."
"May I escort you? These alleys can be dangerous enough during the day," his words flowed through her mind as if they were a drug. They soothed her as he spoke. It was as if he was putting her in a trance.
'No thank you,' she tried to say, but the words that came out were completely different. "Please, if you don't mind."
The man held his arm out to escort her and she placed her hand in the crook.
"Right this way miss," he said as he started walking her down the alley. "What is your name?"
"Julia," she replied as she held tightly onto his arm.
"That is a lovely name." His voice still penetrated her thoughts and continued to hypnotize her as he spoke. "My name is Sebastian."
"Thank you for helping me tonight. My fianc\u00e9e would be upset if I was late for dinner with his parents. Tonight we are telling them about our engagement. They don't have a clue yet."
