/ Well I have no idea where I am going with this so let's all just wing it and hope for the best!
Chaos, that was all she could hear around her. Before she even opened her eyes, she knew there would be carnage, it felt like mere moments ago that she was getting a stake mercilessly plunged into her heart. How had she survived? She remembered thinking that this was it, she was finished. Even though she was now lucid the pain in her chest remained, she reached upwards finding feeling in her arms once more… There it was, her undoing. Her slender fingers wrapped around the stake and pulled it from her body. The minute it left her she felt truly alive again. She inhaled fresh air for the first time in what she only assumed to be a long time. As her eyes shot open she could see just how intense the carnage was. Where was she? She was surrounded by fire and screaming, she could hear so much commotion around her it was almost overwhelming. There were things attached to her body, what were they? She pulled them off her frantically, the current that was running through them was making her skin irritated and sore. The first thing that hit her after her eyes adjusted to the harsh light of the laboratory was how thirsty she was. Her throat felt like sandpaper, she felt as if she had not tasted blood in a thousand years, her mind had fogged to what the taste even was… She merely remembered the feeling. She sluggishly sat up her body stiff and sore from the ordeal she had just underwent. She took her surroundings in, she knew where she was now. She was home. This was Castle Dracula, suddenly her mind became clear. Where was he?
She could hear the frantic beat of a human heart in the room with her, she could smell the mortal's terror in the air, it made her happy… Where someone felt terror, her husband could not be far behind. She sat up slowly, her body was stiff and sore… How long had she been like this? How much life had she missed out on? How long had they been separated? Her head felt like it had been subjected to the beating of the century, she reached up and touched her head, her hair felt matted at the back… She became very self-aware in that moment that she did not look as she usually did, she looked dishevelled… She was glad she could not see her own reflection. She was shallow, she liked to look beautiful and usually it was effortless but rotting away in the confines of Castle Dracula had altered that.
Her eyes found the humans, he was scared, very scared, and she could see why. Looming over his shaking frame in a fearsome stance there he was. Just as she had remembered him… Still ensuring dread filled every fibre of the mortal psyche. When he turned to look at her she saw his face soften, in a second the powerful deathly glare had turned into the man she knew better than anyone. For a moment the vampire was gone but the man remained. She had been gone a long time, his reaction to her clued her to that immediately. He looked scared to come near her, why? Suddenly for the first time in her life she felt self-conscious, did she look deformed? Something must have happened to her while she was in her corpse like state. No… She would not think that. Even if she no longer looked as she did he should still be happy to see her as she was him. She felt a small pang of anger enter her heart. How very dare this man not greet her with open arms?
"Vladislaus!" She said the slight irritation evident in her voice.
He looked shocked to hear her speak anything let alone his name, she only ever called him Vladislaus when she was furious with him. It seemed he found the use of his legs when she spoke, she had not risen herself yet for fear she would fall. She was so stiff, so rigid, she truly felt like she had been a dead body. She was getting impatient, he moved towards her slowly, too slowly. Even with his sluggish pace he still looked as graceful as ever. She could see now the fear in his eyes. She had never known him to look at her with fear before… This was a concern. When he was finally face to face with her he used no words for quite some time.
"I did not think it would work." He finally spoke, she could see now, he was full of disbelief that she was here. Had it been centuries? Millennia? How long had they been separated? As always, his voice was music to her ears. She felt like she had only been with him moments ago but to him she knew it was much much longer.
Vlad could not comprehend seeing her awake, awake and furious with him. Just like old times. It was like he was dreaming, he dreamt of this moment often but never did he think it would come true. He truthfully had little faith in Victor, this failure was going to be his perfect excuse to kill him yet here she was. Standing before him once more. His hands reached out to cup her face, he never thought he would see her like this again. If he had the ability to cry in that moment he would have. His heart sang to even hear her say his name angrily. His heart had always belonged to her. Maybe he was not as hollow as he first thought… She was confused, he could see that now. Of course, she was. How could he be so foolish. He could feel her hands going over his own, the anger in her eyes turned to understanding. "I have been gone a long time haven't I?" She whispered self-awareness seeping in.
"Yes."
He whispered his voice thick with sorrow, he pressed his forehead to hers squeezing his eyes shut, she was perfection. Even now, even after all this time. He knew in that moment he would sooner give himself to the harsh rays of the sun than see her even be slightly inconvenienced again. Any other emotions he had been feeling in the moments leading up to this had since vanished, she was here, she was alive, she was his. He opened his eyes to look at her once more a part of him afraid she was going to disappear.
"Can we please get out of this laboratory." She said grimacing at her dank and dark surroundings. He laughed, she liked her comforts, this area of the castle was certainly never her favourite even if she did enjoy doing experiments from within it. He went to pick her up but was halted "I am not an infant I can walk for myself." Ah, she was still so fiery, so independent. She grabbed his forearm and leaned on it before hopping down off the table. He steadied her as she found her feet. She could walk but not very well, she was slower but that was to be expected. She had not fed in quite some time. He guided her up the spiral stone staircase and into their bedchambers. He still felt like this was a cruel dream and any moment now he would awake. He begged the devil it was not so.
He shut the door behind them and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, he had been aching to hold her in his arms from the moment he was forced to put her in that coffin. His chin rested on top of her head, he inhaled deeply her scent intoxicating his senses. She smelled the exact same, sweet and exotic like a rare flower. "You need to feed." He muttered.
"All in good time." She said some strength coming back into her voice. She took a step back from him and when he looked into her beautiful face she looked angry once more.
"What is that smell on you." Oh no.
"It smells like other females, females that are not me" She said through gritted teeth. Of course, he would be covered in the scent of his brides they were constantly all over him like a rash.
"Well I can explain everything."
"Go on then, have at it." She said her hands going to her hips as she looked at him expectantly. She was going to go insane, she was going to burn down half of Romania with him in it. He knew her better than anyone she was just as jealous and just as possessive as he was.
"You have been gone a long time, I got lonely I thought I would never see you again" He reasoned with her, there was no reasoning here. He could see her delicate hands balling up into fists. This would not be a pleasant sight to behold.
"Where are they now?"
"Out."
"Out where?"
"In the town, checking something for me."
"When will they be back?"
"I do not know. Elizabeta, please… They mean nothing to me." He said grabbing her hands.
"They mean nothing to you? So, you will not be upset when I murder them?"
He swallowed hard, he knew that was coming how could he not. He would not refuse her the pleasure of killing them. Truthfully, he felt very little for them. They had been a welcome distraction for him but he no longer needed distracting.
"Sweetheart, tear them limb from limb, torture them… Do what you will. I made them because I needed to. I feared I would die without you. I lost the will to live, to feed, to kill. Without you I am nothing, I am no one. I contemplated walking out into the sun so many times but I knew you would have not been happy with me taking the easy way out. So, I did not and I thank the devil and all his demons I did not falter or we would never have been reunited." He spoke from his heart, from his own cold dark soul… He would throw himself at her mercy if that was what it took. Even if she was furious with him at least she was alive.
He did not know what it was that he said, but something resonated with her because seconds later she had mustered enough strength to grab his face to her and kiss him hard. His heart felt like it was going to drop out onto the floor beneath him. She tasted like his human life, she tasted like everything he had ever lost and ever gained as both a man and a vampire. When he kissed her, he was always more man than beast and this time was no exception. He rarely permitted his brides to kiss him. Kissing was something personal, something you did when you loved someone. He did not love them, the woman in his arms was the only thing in this life he had ever cared about. Time slipped away as they stood on that spot, he got lost in her very essence. It was only when he felt her uneven breaths against his lips that he unwillingly pulled away from her.
"You must feed, you are weak." He urged her. "I shall, I must." She agreed.
He did not want her to go to the town and see his brides. Not yet, not while she was not at full strength.
"I will go get you someone, please… Do not leave this room I will be but a few moments." He said with pleading eyes. As a general rule she never ever did what he asked her to but he was hoping this time she would help him out. He did not desire to leave her but he could not risk losing her over something as simple as not getting enough blood.
"Fine, but hurry." She frowned placing one last tender kiss on his lips. He nodded and flung open the window, he would move faster than time itself to get back to her.
She watched him leave her mouth still tingling from his kisses. She needed to feed before she went face to face against those women. She would make him pay for that, for him thinking any number of women could replace her. She would teach that husband of hers a lesson when the time came.
"Their bedroom looked exactly the same, untouched. She could tell by the scent in the room that he had not been sleeping here, had the roles been reversed she too would have been unable to sleep in the coffin she once shared with him. She wished she had a reflection so she could see just how awful she looked. She could not mull over such trivial things for long, he had not been gone more than five minutes when he was back this time with a terrified man in his grip.
He looked no older than 40 years old. A perfect age, his blood would be rich and smooth. She could feel her gums itch at just the sound of his terrified heartbeat. "I got you your favourite my treasure, a family man." Her love said his sadistic smile beaming through as he aggressively shoved the man in her direction. He was a blubbering mess, he fell to her feet begging for his life. She could not help but laugh, as if begging could save him now.
"Please I have a family."
"You have a family? Well why didn't you say so? When I am finished killing you I will be sure to kill them too, I just love keeping things like this in the family." She grinned. She yanked the human up her fangs slowly descending, her blue eyes turning bright and icy. She could not wait one second more. She plunged her fangs into his neck groaning as the hot thick blood filled her mouth. She drank in full heavy gulps her strength returning with every second of this man's life she drained away.
Magnificent, that was how she looked as she fed on this human. She was always a better vampire than him. This was her destiny, she was made to become a creature of the night. As she drained the pathetic mortal he could see the change in her. Her skin was softer, her hair smoother and more defined, the colour deepening to a more vibrant flaming red, even her scent changed. She smelled dangerous, she smelled like a predator. As she drained the last of the human dry she let his spent corpse fall to the floor. Her plump lips were now stained red. He all but ran to her kissing her lips like he was a dying man and this was the last kiss he would ever have. She tasted like blood, she tasted like death. She was back.
She got out of the horrible rags she had been staked in and back into one of her old outfits. She kept it simple, dressed in all black to match her love she wore a fitted corseted style shirt and form fitting pants. She placed a long velvet style overcoat on that synced in at the waist to finish her look and just like that she was reborn. She was herself once more. She could hear the wails of those women returning, they were grief stricken… Something must have gone wrong in the town. She looked out the window watching the two feminine forms flying back into the castle grounds. She felt his presence from behind her but she dare not turn around.
"Tell me they meant nothing to you." She said sternly.
"They meant less than nothing to me." He whispered kissing the side of her neck.
"Good, because I want to make them suffer." She grinned.
She was creative in how she made those that irked her suffer, and these women would feel her full wrath. She would make sure they would never so much as gaze in the direction of her beloved again. Her mind games were legendary and she was going to put them to good use.
"Let the games begin."
/ Soooo what do we think. Chapter 3 is going to be one hell of a show down. How will the brides react to their masters cold reception? What will they do when they realise Van Helsing is back in town? Revenge methinks.