Disclaimer: The story Dracula, and all its characters, settings, and situations, belong to Bram Stoker. Who died in 1912. Yeah, not me.
Warnings: Okay, heavy slash in later chapters, plenty of anti-religion, and violence and blood and generally disturbing stuff. It's vampires. So, if any of this offends you, please hit the back button and save us all some grief.
Notes: Yep, I finally sat down and wrote this thing. Basically, this is the full-length sequel to Lust for the Flesh and Musings in the Moonlight. Basically, it's HarkerxDracula and will be that way pretty much the whole way through. It's not my best work, but I guess it'll do for now? I don't have a real defined outline for this, but I have a general idea of where it's going, and am kind of winging it. It will generally follow the plot of the book, because that's easier for me, and I will do some character switching around and stuff. You'll get what I mean later. Just don't bash me for it, this is turning out to be quite tough to write, for me, and I'm doing my best. I will, however, spend a lot of time developing the (very interesting, as of yet) relationship between Dracula and Jonathan. I hope you like it, but it won't come until later, so bear with me, please?
And I can't promise regular updates or anything. I'm kind of struggling with school and stuff at the moment, so this was actually a rather bad time to write this. But people reviewed and muse struck, so............ By the way, this chapter is pretty much just a prologue and sucks in terms of the actual story. I'm very uncertain about this whole thing, but I needed something to get me into this because I really, really want to write this story. So, here it is.
By the way, I have no idea what the names of the Three Brides are, so they are pretty much nameless for now. If anyone has any idea, I could use it, but for now nameless is working.
So, just because this is the first chapter, a big thank you to all of my Musings in the Moonlight reviewers: Norrsken, AppleaA, DarkPriestessofAssymbia, Seshy'sGirlLOL01, doomedpassion, Nightmare-knight, and Mrs. James Norrington. I'm so glad you liked it, guys!
Also, to all of the people who reviewed Lust for the Flesh after I published Musings: Norrsken, doomedpassion, Nightmare-knight, AngelofTheo, Magician of the Light, Blood Valkyrie, Doometh, and Mrs. James Norrington. So, once again, thanks!
So, having thanked everyone for past reviews, I would like to say that I do love getting feedback, it is lovely, so reviews are wonderful, and now on with the story.
Sated. Content…………. Full. It was something Count Dracula had not felt in a long time. And yet, here he was, lingering in Harker's room when he should be tying up all of the loose ends he had yet to take care of. He wouldn't want all of his plans unraveling at this crucial moment, now, did he?
Scowling to himself, Dracula moved away from the corner of the room, approaching the bed where Jonathan Harker lay, deep in what appeared to be merely sleep. Dracula knew better. The young man's chest lifted up gently, rose, then fell, breath escaping those bloodied lips. There was blood all over the bed, staining the white sheets a dramatic red. And amidst it all, Jonathan Harker lay, completely bare, completely……………. vulnerable.
It certainly was a delectable scene.
He would have enjoyed returning to that bed, resuming their earlier activities, but there were many things that needed doing, and Jonathan Harker was not at peace as he appeared to be…… At least, he wouldn't be for long. There was only a finite amount of time before the Change began, Dracula knew, and that left him a short window of opportunity to finish the remaining tasks.
And, besides, he was feeling rather full. It wasn't every day he had a chance to drain a fully grown, vivaciously alive young man nearly completely of his sweet, warm blood. He ran his tongue once more over his fangs automatically at the thought, still savoring the remnants of that blood. The cloying taste of Jonathan Harker's life force still filled his mouth, reminding him of the warm blood rushing into his mouth as his teeth dug into the source of the young man's all-too-important pulse.
He would have liked to savor that feeling for longer, to drink at will whenever he pleased for as long as he pleased, but there was no time. Jonathan Harker was his now, and the repercussions of their actions tonight meant that soon, very soon, Jonathan Harker would be dead.
And a new fledgling would take his place.
Dracula smirked, finally leaving the room. The castle was quiet tonight, as thought echoing his pensiveness. He gentled made his way through the halls, mentally running through everything that was left to do. He needed to prepare himself for the long wait for Jonathan Harker's awakening, and make sure all was ready, all of his affairs as to his moving to England had to be finished for the time being, there was no knowing how long it would take. And certainly the Brides would be angry, he would need to get them new prey to appease them-
"You reek of his blood."
Dracula closed his eyes, turning to her. Her blonde hair shone in the moonlight corridor, a light yellow contrasting against her white dress and whiter skin. Her eyes glittered as she moved closer, for a reason that Dracula did not care to know. He merely raised an eyebrow at her, questioning her statement.
"You have had him, haven't you?"
It wasn't a question. She knew he'd bitten him, knew from the pungency of the scent that he'd probably had all the blood there was to have. She wanted to see his reaction to her assertion. He stayed silent, watching as she reached her own limited conclusions.
"So that's the end of him, then? I suppose you've had all and more of the….. kisses?"
This was another thing that put him off to her and her fellows. The way they insisted upon talking, the manipulating look behind their regular primal animalism. To him, they were nothing. He wondered, absently, how much trouble it would be to get rid of them.
Finally, he addressed her. "All in good time, now is not your time to know." he said softly, still a little distracted and not much feeling up to sending her away with force. She would lurk around until she got the information she sought, he knew. She pouted.
"So you have had him all, then? And left none for us? How could you be so cruel? We have not had a young, strong man in so, so long………."
She looked up at him through her lashes, tilting her head slightly to the side. Her subtle attempts at seduction did not go unnoticed by him, but he would not be won over by a voluptuous woman.
"You disobeyed my orders……….. twice. He was not yours to have. Put him out of your mind." he replied, pushing his own orders with a glare. She shrunk back slightly at the reminder that he was her master, and she would obey him.
She recovered from this shock quickly, however, and approached him again, all innocence.
"You hide something from us, maestru. What do you not wish us to know?"
He glared at her. She was going too far.
"You forget your place." he growled, glad to see real fear flash across her face as she shrunk back. He could now see her fellows, waiting in the shadows to see what he would do. "I do not need to reveal myself to you, and you had best remember that." He knew he must look a sight, still covered in the young Englishman's blood, eyes blazing, angry at them as he had not been for a time for interrupting his plans. He could almost see the wheels turning futilely in their heads as their suspicions grew. He sighed. This would not do.
"I was, in truth, preparing to hunt, as, as you have said, you have not had true prey in so, so long. Continue to try my patience, and I may not continue to hunt for you at all."
She glared at him, anger beginning to show. One of her sisters reached out from the shadows, tugging on her arm. Dracula watched their interaction with disinterest. He wanted them gone.
"Now, away with you." he glanced towards the shadows, where the third stood, still watching. "All of you. Do not bother me this evening."
She continued to glare, and her sister continued to try to convince her to leave, and the third continued to simply stand and stare. Silence was dominant in the hall. Dracula stared her down, waiting for her to leave. He was above her.
Finally, she scoffed, and turned, vanishing into the shadows with her sisters. He waited until he knew that she truly was gone before turning and walking to his chambers. Despite his problems with the Brides, there were still things to be done before dawn.
So the three Brides vanished to their own quarters, suspicion heavy in their minds.
Dracula retired to his own chambers, hoping to have some peace with the night once again before dawn.
Out in the forest, a wolf lifted its head and barked to its companions, who honored their alpha and began the trek back to the castle and their master.
In the village miles away, a woman stood at the window, clutching her rosary in fright from the nightmare she had awoken from, watching the clouds pass the full moon.
In England, a woman was retiring for bed. She paused as she looked in the mirror, fingering the locket her Jonathan had given her with a sad, longing smile. He'll be back soon, she thought.
And, most important of them all, Jonathan Harker slept on, unknowing that his fiancée was missing him, unknowing that the Brides would not tolerate his presence much longer, unknowing that even as his soft breath and his heartbeat were the only sound in the room, that they were slowly, slowly fading.
Unknowing of it all, he slept on, dreaming of red eyes, soft hands, and pleasure beyond anything he'd ever known.