CARLA

The smoke filled bar was crowded, but she spotted him as soon as he walked in. He was the type who stood out in a crowd. Probably because he was so tall, she thought, guessing he was at least six foot four. Her azure eyes scanned him from head to toe. The guy had the body of an elite athlete. Dressed in a black shirt that hugged his immense shoulders, his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing muscular forearms. His fitted black jeans emphasised his long, muscular legs. 

His exquisite face was framed by collar-length jet black hair and his handsome face was expressionless apart from large coffee colored eyes, which darted away when she met his gaze. She only caught his eye for a second, but it was long enough to make her question leaving the bar so early.

"Damn." She whispered, cursing her early morning flight. Carla said goodnight to her work colleagues and made her way towards the exit.

Outside the bar, Carla Reed raised the collar of her coat against the cool night air. She turned down the dark alleyway towards her parked car. The music coming from inside the bar faded into the distance as she walked. Soon, only the sound of her heels echoed on the cobblestone road.

Carla wished she'd stayed a little longer, intrigued by the handsome stranger. She smiled to herself, recalling all her failed attempts at flirting with the opposite sex, suddenly thankful she left the bar when she did. Even at twenty three, Carla had less experience at flirting than most teenagers. For some inexplicable reason, boys were intimidated by her and she'd always scared them away.

So much so that her baby sister Katy refused to allow Carla to meet her boyfriends any more. Accusing her big sister of both intimidating or interrogating them. She smiled again recalling several of Katy's dates who were so frazzled after they'd met Carla, they bought her home an hour before her curfew.

Carla's returned to the handsome man at the bar. She wondered what business brought a man like him to her small city. He looked like he was more comfortable on the back of a horse, playing polo with Prince Harry, than drinking cheap booze in a bar full of self important hipsters and corporate climbers.

Half way down the deserted alley, Carla's thoughts were disrupted by a strange breeze on her face. The breeze carried the most unusual scent. She inhaled deeply and allowed the alien scent to assault her senses. Carla screwed up her nose, unsure whether it was a smell she liked or disliked. She stopped and looked around, confused. Carla had the uncanny ability to identify any object by its unique scent. Raising her perfectly sculpted eyebrows, she realised that this new scent was one she had never encountered before. She paused, closed her eyes and inhaled again deeply.

The usual aroma was coming from an arched doorway a few feet to her right. Unperturbed by the fact that was alone in a dark alley, Carla moved towards the scent curiously. It grew stronger as she neared the arch. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as they had never done before. She was not afraid, Carla Reed trusted her instincts and right now, she didn't sense she was in any danger. Carla grew more curious as she approached.

"Hello?" She spoke quietly. There was a shuffle of unseen feet in the dark shadows of the archway before a large, dark figure appeared before her. "Don't be afraid." Carla continued, taking a step toward the figure.

"I'm not afraid. But you should be." The figure said ominously, in an unrecognisable European accent. Carla was mesmerised by his voice which was deep and lyrical. She ignored his threatening tone, taking another step closer.

"What are you?" She asked.

Saying nothing, he stepped out of the shadows and into the dimly lit alley to face her. Carla recognized him instantly, it was mystery man she was admiring at the bar. Carla looked behind her towards the bar in the distance, then towards the dead end street in front of her, wondering how he got to the alley ahead of her.

"What are you?" She repeated, inhaling deeply again, his scent drew her nearer, magnetically. As she approached him, his expression changed from menacing to one of confusion.

Surprised by her boldness, he tensed. Standing inches away from him, Carla lifted herself up onto her toes and touched his face. His appearance in the alleyway was so strange, she had to make sure she hadn't conjured him out of thin air with her overactive imagination. He looked baffled, but didn't pull away, allowing Carla to stroke his cheek with her fingers. When her finger moved towards his lips, the stranger took hold of her hand and growled.

"Why are you not afraid?" He asked through clenched teeth. His coffee coloured eyes were now black as he studied her face. Carla leaned closer still.

"Did you... growl at me?" She asked, amused.

The pair stared at each other in bewilderment for a moment. Then he struck. In the blink of an eye, he had her pressed against the wall. One hand was across Carla's shoulders, his other hand pushed her hair away from her face to reveal her throat.

Suddenly, his still growling lips were on her throat. Carla closed her eyes, taking in his unusual scent through flared nostrils. She wasn't afraid, despite the imminent danger she was in. He pressed his muscular body against her. Carla moaned. Then the stranger bit her neck. The instant he sunk his teeth into her flesh, he recoiled in horror. He pulled away, and just as fast as he'd appeared, he was gone.

"What just happened?" Carla exclaimed.

Spinning around in a circle, she searched the alley for him. Touching the spot where the stranger's teeth had been moments earlier, expecting to see blood or feel a wound. There was nothing. He was gone and she was totally alone in the dark alley again. Had she imagined the whole strange encounter?

"You're losing it Carla." She told herself, her voice echoing in the deserted alleyway as she briskly walked the remaining few steps to her parked car.

Still muttering to herself, Carla drove out of the dark side street onto the main road. She slowed down near the local nightclub entrance to where her sister sat in the gutter smoking a cigarette.

"How do you always know where I am?" Katy Reed asked. She climbed into the passenger seat, shaking her pretty blonde head, stinking of tobacco.

"Instinct." Carla said. That was the best way to explain her extraordinary superpower.