The night air bit at Celess as she hurried through the deserted alley, the lingering sting of a recent argument with her boyfriend a dull ache in her chest. Regret gnawed at her; leaving the club alone had been a foolish decision.

Footsteps echoed behind her, quickening her pulse. She spun around, heart hammering, to face a tall, dark figure. Fear, cold and sharp, gripped her. Just as she prepared to bolt, a voice, deep and impossibly smooth, cut through the silence.

"Are you lost?"

Celess looked up, her gaze caught by piercing blue eyes framed by dark, wavy hair. He was dressed in a black suit, an anomaly in the dingy alley, yet it only enhanced his aura of elegant mystery. She stammered, "I'm... I'm just trying to find my way back to the main street."

A faint smile touched his lips, revealing a flash of sharp canines that glimmered in the pale moonlight. A strange thrill, unsettling yet undeniably potent, coursed through her.

"Allow me to assist you," he offered, extending an arm. "I know these streets well."

Hesitantly, Celess took his arm, a surprising sense of safety washing over her. As they walked, he introduced himself as Steve, new to the area. She found herself opening up, sharing her troubles, while his blue eyes held a glimmer of something she couldn't quite place. Too soon, they reached the main street, and he bid her goodnight, disappearing into the shadows, leaving Celess with an inexplicable sense of longing. She wondered if she would ever see him again.