Maxwell hated being controlled, hated anyone ruling over him. He was a master vampire, not a helpless dependent like his sister Elizabeth.
Mother always babied them, made them think they couldn't live without her, just so none of them would run.
Maxwell, though, was smarter than that. He could see straight through the bind she had over their minds.
It wasn't that he didn't love his mother. He did very much indeed, but he couldn't be bound to her forever. Infancy had passed him years and years ago and fledgling hood as well. It was time to expand his family's bloodline and break free of the Countess. He was an adult now, and ready to create a coven of his own.
"My little one, you wouldn't last a day out there without mommy to protect you." Mother's lips lied to him as she caressed his face lovingly as if he were still a child. "There are dangers in this world that I cannot even begin to describe."
"I can handle the hunters." He'd argued with her.
"The hunters are just the icing on the cake of demise my dear." The Countess told him. "Beyond these castle walls are things so monstrous and foul that you'll wish for a hunter's stake just to rid your eyes of the horrible sight." She ran her finger along his face, sharp nail scraping along his skin to draw just a little blood, proving her point.
"You can't stop me." He'd replied, defiantly, taking her hands and shoving them away from him.
"Why must you fight me, Maxwell!?" She demanded. "Your brothers and sisters never behave this way!"
"Because you've brain washed them!" He growled back at her.
"Nonsense!" His mother denied. "They just know what's best for them. They know that I am the one who knows best."
"I'm leaving, mother." Max repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Tomorrow night I'm leaving here and I won't be coming back."
"And just where will you go?" The Countess asked her child. "Every inch of land in Europe has been claimed already. I'm afraid you're much to late to strike out anew."
"America hasn't been settled, mother." Max spoke up.
The Countess dropped fang in anger.
"You will not leave me!" She snarled at him. "I won't allow it!"
Max wasn't afraid. Mother looked menacing, but deep down she was just an old pussycat.
"I'm sorry, mother." He apologized. "But this isn't the life I want."
"Your father would despise you for this..." The Countess growled at her son. "What did he say to you if anything should ever happen to him?"
Max's father, Count Dracula's words were something his mother liked to hang over his head quite often.
"Take care of your mother, child." He'd told Max on the night of his staking. "I won't be here to do it for much longer."
"Father would understand." Max told his mother. "He knew I always intended on leaving one day."
The Countess retracted her fangs, revealing tears in her dark eyes.
"Well you just go then! Ungrateful little hellspawn!" She'd shouted in grief and anger at her child. "But don't come crying back to my doorstep when everything comes crashing down!"
"I won't." He'd promised, unfazed by her dramatic display. "Goodbye mother. I'll write when I'm settled." With that Maxwell turned and left his mother's sleeping chamber without another word.
"Be warned once more!" She shouted after him. "This world is horrid and broken! You won't survive a decade!"
Max didn't care. He struck out on his own as soon as the sun set again, setting a course for the new world.
...
America was a cornucopia of plenty for a vampire bachelor such as himself.
Pure, succulent blood everywhere he looked, and most ready and willing to give it all up to him without a fight.
That was the good thing about this ignorant new worlders. Most didn't believe in his kind.
As such, Max was able to walk amongst them all without even the slightest hint of suspicion. Life here was just far to easy.
However, it was also quite lonely, he was beginning to realize.
Coven upon coven surrounded this area he'd claimed for himself in the golden state of California, but he'd yet to find a suitable mate to share his bounty with.
One thing was for certain, a good life partner was a rarity in the new world.
...
Ember Rose Ash never faltered to make Maxwell weak in the knees.
The only daughter of the founding vampiric family of America, she was a ruthless, cold blooded killer, and a beauty so radiant that the moons glowing light bowed in her presence. The waves danced to the rhythm she set, and the flowers bloomed only when she spoke to do so.
She ravaged these lands, picking off victim by victim and bleeding Max's lands for herself.
Had she not had such a tight grip on his heart, he would've been quite angry. Maybe even enough to end her immortal life.
Max knew Ember could sense his distaste for her feeding habits, and that it was the soul reason she continued to intrude on his blood supply. She was such a tease, and Max loved it.
He made it a point to seek Ember out one night after she'd been trolling over his lands for nearly two years. He'd been searching for most of this time, but Ember proved to be quite hard to find.
"You've evaded me for far too long, my lovely." He spoke into the shadows of an abandoned gold mine. A trail of fresh blood trickled down the rocks and a territorial feminine hiss came from within the cavern.
"Don't be afraid." Max crooned to her. "I don't wish to harm you."
"Afraid?" Ember's smooth as satin voice answered, two glowing golden eyes sparkling in the darkness within the shadows of the cave. "Tell me..." She whispered. "Why on earth would I be afraid of you?"
"Everyone seems to be afraid of the son of Count Dracula." Max replied proudly.
Ember chuckled and finally stepped from the shadows. Max's undead heart stopped beating for a moment. She was even more beautiful close up, with shimmering golden hair, flawless ivory skin, and a figure any model would happily die for. He couldn't help but stare.
"My eyes are up here, Mr. Dracula." Ember reminded him casually.
"Of course hey are, my dear, and I'm sure they're beautiful just like the rest of you. May I see them please?" Max requested.
Ember chuckled and retracted her fangs, her curved bat brow regressing as well and her eyes turning from the demonic glowing hold back to a deep, glistening crystal blue.
"Lovely..." Max smiled at her. "Just as I predicted."
"There's a lot of vampires around here, Mr. Dracula." Ember crooned to him. "What makes you think you have a shot with me, hmm?"
"I don't think I have a shot with you, my darling." Max replied. "I know I do. And you're going to be my mate."
"Am I?" Ember grinned.
"I'm certain of it." Max nodded, still admiring her body with his wandering eyes.
"Well that's not going to be easy, Mr. Dracula." Ember told him. "I won't settle for just any old bloodsucker you know. I'm practically royalty in these parts."
"Of course you are, dear." Max agreed. "But I am royalty of the old world, and therefore I command you to bow to me and be my mate."
Ember gave him a mischievous smile. "You should know I'm quite defiant, Mr. Dracula." She told him, turning away from him and taking to the skies calling back "Catch me if you can!"
Max took off after her, chasing down the one female he knew was worthy to be his partner for all eternity.
...
David James Dracula Ash was born on October 31, 1888.
Heir to not one, but two vampiric empires. News of his birth spread quickly back to the old country and to their homeland.
The Countess had to admit that she'd been wrong. Her little fledgling had managed to beat the odds and make a life for himself here in America.
She was thrilled, both for his happiness and for the new little fledgling he'd produced, which was currently wrapped in a soft bundle of blankets in her arms.
"He's quite a handsome little fellow isn't he?" She smiled at the baby, kissing it's soft forehead.
Ember's dislike of Max's mother was clear, and the feeling of distaste she was letting off couldn't be missed.
"I'd like my child back please." She requested.
"Ember, Darling..." Max tried to reason with her.
"I said I'd like my child back." Ember repeated.
"Hmm..." The Countess hummed, continuing to gaze down at her new grandchild. "You would do well to teach your mate to hold that tongue of hers in the presence of her Queen." She said to her son.
Ember's eyes filled with a golden fire and she looked to Max with a growl, expecting him to defend her.
Max, however, knew better than to defy his mother while she held his precious David.
"Yes mother..." He replied. "I will work on her, I assure you.
Ember left him soon after David's birth. She wouldn't put up with the outright disrespect he showed her.
Max was heartbroken.
...
"My child, drink your O Negative." Max urged his little son, who sat at the table arms crossed, with a grumpy expression on his face. "It'll make your little fangs grow big and strong like Daddy's."
"I hate it!" David whined, pushing the mug away distastefully.
"Sweetling, you need your vitamins." Max tried to reason with him. "What will your mother say next time she visits, hmm?"
David growled and picked the mug up to drink. He hated O negative blood. It tasted plain and had no flavor to it. But Max forced it upon him for the sake of his health. O Negative blood made little fledglings stronger, and he wanted only the best for his sweet child, even if he was a little brat most of the time.
Ember could get him to take his O Negative blood easily. She was a wonderful mother, and would have been an excellent life mate, had he been the husband he promised her to be.
His heart still ached, thinking of how he'd lost his chance at a perfect family, but he wouldn't just lie there and give up, sobbing like a weak whimpering child. He was going to fix things to give his little David a real family.
He'd keep his eye out for a new mate, one more perfect than Ember had ever been. Even if it took a hundred years or more, Max would never give up.