"Your Excellency?" Von Krolock was still seated at the dinner table when Anneliese returned. He was leaning back in his chair resting his eyes. She stood cautiously in the doorway, waiting for him to respond. He opened his eyes and slowly sat up. As he looked at her she could have sworn the look in his eyes had softened but the moment disappeared as quickly as it had come. "May I join you now, Your Excellency?" Anneliese hated having to force herself to be subservient to the Count but if she didn't want to starve to death before she found a chance to escape, she had no choice. Von Krolock stood up and Anneliese realized for the first time since she had arrived, he had removed his cape which was now draped over the back of his chair. For some reason she couldn't figure out, he seemed less imposing without it.
"Come in, Anneliese." He gestured toward her seat and Anneliese made her way over to sit down. "You look like a respectable young lady now. It makes such a difference, even the way you carry yourself has improved. Wouldn't you agree?" Anneliese fidgeted within the confines of her gown.
"It itches," she said. When Von Krolock laughed at her response she couldn't help but notice how almost pleasant his laugh was when he wasn't so angry. Don't fall for it, she chastised herself. It's just another one of his tricks. When they were both seated Anneliese saw that while her place had been reset with a new bowl of soup, all Von Krolock had before him was a goblet half filled with red wine and an unmarked wine bottle. "Won't you be eating with me?"
"Of course," he replied. He picked up his goblet and took a sip.
"But you don't have any..." Von Krolock looked at Anneliese over the edge of his glass as he drank and she was unable to finish talking. The look in his eyes said everything. "Oh..." Anneliese quickly turned her attention down to her soup. The thought of what was in Von Krolock's glass made her feel queasy and she couldn't afford to lose her appetite now after not having eaten in over a day. She forced herself not to think about it as she placed a spoonful of her soup into her mouth. If it was possible, it tasted more heavenly than it had smelled.
"Care for a sip?" Von Krolock offered his glass to Anneliese and she crinkled her nose in disgust.
"No!" She snapped, then quickly added, "Thank you. No thank you." She took another spoonful of her soup and the Count chuckled softly.
"I guess you do have enough of your own." He gave her a wink and when Anneliese looked down at her bowl to find it filled with the same red liquid that was in his goblet, she spat out what was in her mouth and coughed so hard she thought she was going to vomit. It wasn't until she calmed down and her stomach settled again that she realized how hard the vampire was laughing. She looked at her bowl again and her face reddened when she saw it was nothing but vegetable soup. "Is there a problem with the food?" Von Krolock's voice wavered slightly as he struggled not to laugh. Anneliese wiped her eyes and mouth with her napkin.
"Not at all," she said through a clenched jaw. "The food is lovely." They ate the rest of their meal in silence. Von Krolock seemed to pay little attention to Anneliese but every so often, Anneliese would catch herself closely studying the Count. The first thing she noticed was that both wounds she had inflicted upon him-the burn on his hand and the scratch on his face-were completely gone. There weren't even any scars; it was as if she had never hurt him. The other thing she noticed was how physically different he was from his son.
She knew the very first moment she met Herbert that their personalities were near polar opposites but now she saw that they barely even looked alike. Herbert's dark brown eyes and his hair that was so blonde it almost looked white was a stark contrast to his father's clear blue eyes and dark, but greying, hair. Herbert's facial features were almost feminine with an upturned nose, full lips, a delicate chin and prominent cheekbones. She thought of what he had said about trying on the gowns himself and she had to suppress a laugh. She imagined that he would make a very convincing woman if he wore a dress and did his hair just right. Von Krolock was a different story. He was more attractive than she wanted to admit and in a very masculine way. Besides his eyes and his strongly set jaw, there really was nothing particularly special about his face but somehow all of his seemingly average features made him seem... beautiful. There was just no other word to describe him. Anneliese forced herself to look away; she couldn't believe she was thinking such thoughts about this man... this creature that was holding her hostage and threatening to kill her.
"Thank you." Anneliese jumped a little when Von Krolock's voice broke the silence.
"I didn't say anything."
"I heard you nonetheless." Anneliese didn't have to look at the vampire to know he was giving her that sarcastic smile of his and she could feel her entire body grow uncomfortably warm as she blushed. They sat in silence again-Anneliese eating her dinner while Von Krolock read a book-for a while longer before Anneliese found the courage to speak once more.
"Is Herbert really your son?"
"What kind of question is that?" Von Krolock asked without looking up from his book. "Of course he is my son."
"I mean is he your real son? Did you..." Anneliese struggled to find a polite way to word what she wanted to say.
"Just say it, Anneliese," he sighed.
"Did you have-"
"Did I fuck a woman and get her pregnant?" Von Krolock's eyes met Anneliese's and she blushed once again but, as much as she wanted to, she was unable to look away.
"Y-yes... That..." Anneliese couldn't bring herself to repeat it. "Were you married? Were you human then or were you a vampire already? If you were already a vampire, was she a vampire as well? Or was she human?" Anneliese knew she should stop but she couldn't. "Can vampires even get humans pregnant?"
"Anneliese..." The Count's voice was filled with warning but Anneliese took no notice.
"Or other vampires for that matter? Can vampires get pregnant?" She went on.
"Anneliese..." He spoke a little louder but the young girl continued to ramble.
"Was Herbert born a vampire or did you bite him? Is he even your natural born son? Was he just one of your vict-"
"Anneliese!" Von Krolock slammed his book down on the table, finally getting her attention. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"
"I'm just curious!" Anneliese snapped.
"Considering the situation you are currently in I don't think it's very wise for you to be so damn curious," Von Krolock shot back and Anneliese shrunk back in her chair. Von Krolock returned to his book but barely a minute later he shut it again. "What is it that makes you so curious where my son came from?"
"Well... The two of you are so different from one another that I-"
"Different? Precisely how are we so different?"
"You hardly look like each other," Anneliese offered.
"Many sons don't look like their fathers."
"Maybe so. But for a vampire, Herbert is pretty nice and you've been simply dreadful!" The second the words came out Anneliese regretted it and she clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Dreadful? Dreadful?" Von Krolock repeated the word slowly as if savoring the taste of it.
"I'm sorry, Your Ex-"
"I've been dreadful?"
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that..." Anneliese's voice shook and tears began to roll down her cheeks.
"How exactly did you mean it then?" Von Krolock slowly rose to his feet. He placed his hands on the table and leaned over so he was looking down at Anneliese. All Anneliese could do was shake her head. "I could have killed you hours ago," he reminded her. "But instead I agreed to your silly little bargain. I've given you a bed to sleep on instead of a hard floor! I've provided you with clothes so you don't have to wear that filthy rag of a dress all week!" His voice began to rise with each sentence until he was finally shouting. "I could have forced you to live on bread and water all week but instead tonight you have eaten better than you have in your entire life!" By now Von Krolock was leaning so far over the table he was practically laying on top of it. His face was mere inches away from Anneliese's and she couldn't tear her eyes away from his two razor sharp fangs. "All this after you've attacked me, destroyed my property and have done nothing but disrespect me and you have the nerve to call me dreadful!"
Von Krolock climbed onto the table. He pushed her place setting out of the way and kneeled in front of her, placing his hands on the armrests of her chair and pinning her in place. "You are trying my patience, Anneliese," he growled. His face was so close to hers that she could feel his lips brush against her ear as he spoke. "It isn't wise to test me like this." The Count's cool cheek slid against her own as he moved his head to bring his mouth down to the side of her neck. "It isn't wise at all." His breathing was labored and as he spoke his cool breath blew against the tender flesh of her throat sending a chill-a chill of fear or excitement, she couldn't tell-through her body.
"Please..." Anneliese begged, her voice so weak it could barely be heard. Afraid to see what he would do next, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly.
"I am nothing but a dreadful monster," Von Krolock whispered. He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of her blood, and moaned. He recalled the little taste he had been given and how sweet it was. He wanted... he needed more. "I can't be expected to control myself."
"Oh God," Anneliese whimpered. "Please stop. You promised... You p-" Her words were cut off with a cry when she felt something cold and wet touch her neck. Von Krolock groaned softly and and licked her neck a second time, starting from her collarbone and not stopping until he reached her jaw.
"No," he sighed, his lips pressed against her neck. "I can't be expected to control myself at all." He brought a hand up to her neck and traced the line of her jugular with one long nail. "If you continue to push me so, I just might... snap." He pinched a bit of her skin between two nails and Anneliese screamed loudly. A few seconds passed-seconds that felt like an eternity to Anneliese-before the pain subsided. She waited for something else to happen and when nothing did, she slowly opened her eyes to find Von Krolock sitting in his seat, reading his book. She then saw that her place setting was on the table before her again as if it had never been moved. She brought her hands to her neck and frantically felt for any signs that she had been bitten but there was nothing. It was almost as if it had all been just a dream.
"Well, our time together has been... amusing," Von Krolock said as he placed his book down on the table, stood up and pulled his cloak over his shoulders, "but there is much yet to do before morning. You are free to roam about the castle as I said before. My home is your home for the next seven days." He walked toward the doorway Anneliese figured must lead into the kitchen but stopped and looked back at her one last time. "Heed my warning, Anneliese," he said softly. "Do. Not. Push. Me." Anneliese's heart began to race as she realized what had happened wasn't a dream after all. "I will snap. And I will hurt you. Bargain or no bargain. Do you understand?" Anneliese nodded slowly. Satisfied he had gotten his point across, Von Krolock left her alone.
Anneliese sat quietly and waited and once she was certain Von Krolock would not be returning, she got up and slowly made her way through each room of the first floor of the castle. If she was going to escape she had to start figuring out just how she would do it immediately. There were a total of five rooms on the floor floor: the dining room, the foyer, a sitting room, a library and the fifth room she assumed was the kitchen. This was the room Von Krolock had gone into after leaving Anneliese in the dining room and even though she was almost certain he was long gone, she was too afraid of running into him to go in there. She would have a look during the day when she knew the Count and his son would be sleeping, although if she was correct in thinking the kitchen was below her bedroom, any windows there would face directly out over the cliff.
In the dining room one wall was filled with long, narrow windows; too narrow for her to climb through. Leaving the dining room, she crossed the foyer and opened the first door she came to. The fact that the sitting room was relatively sparse of furniture compared to most sitting rooms didn't surprise Anneliese. She couldn't imagine Castle von Krolock saw many guests. The windows in this room-like every other room it seemed-were made of stained glass but the panels were similar to the windows in the foyer. Upon closer inspection she knew it would be a tight fit, but she was certain she would be able to push herself through. More than anything she wanted to smash the glass and escape right then and there but it was too risky. She had to wait until daylight when the only one around would be Koukol.
Just then Anneliese yawned deeply. She was afraid to fall asleep again while Von Krolock and his son were awake but if she was to make it through the forest and all the way back to the village the next day, sleep was absolutely necessary. She left the room but instead of going directly to her room she decided to take a peek in the last room. Unlike the other rooms, this one hadn't yet been lit and though she knew the moon was full and bright this time of the month, the stained glass in the windows was made of dark colors like all the rest so the moonlight did little to brighten the room. She barely needed any light, however; she could tell by the pleasant slightly musty smell that she was in a library. She would have been willing to put off sleep a little longer for a chance to look around but it was too dark. She turned to leave but her hand froze before she could even grab the door knob when she heard what sounded like whispering coming from behind her. She looked back at the darkened room but she could see and hear nothing.
"I'm so tired I'm hearing things," she laughed, but she wasn't thoroughly convinced. She reached for the door knob again and just as she swung the door open, she heard the voices again; they were still whispers but this time a little louder than before. "That's enough, Anneliese!" She scolded herself. "Stop being so frightened. It's only your imag-" Her voice caught in her throat when she turned around and saw a few figures now standing in the little bit of muted light the windows allowed through. She had no idea who they were and she wasn't about to wait to find out. She backed out of the room and slammed the door shut behind her. She was tempted to run up the stairs and back to her room but she didn't want to risk running into Von Krolock that way. The less fear she showed around him the better it would be even if for no other reason than simply not allowing him complete control over her. She leaned back against the wall, closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths until her heart slowed to a normal pace. When she opened her eyes again she noticed a door underneath the staircase. She hurried over to it but just as she opened the door she cried out in pain as something hard poked her in her back. Spinning around, she found Koukol standing behind her carrying a handful of candles under one arm. He held one of those candles in his hand and was pointing it at her. Before she could say anything, Koukol poked her with the candle a second time, this time on the shoulder.
"Stop that!" Anneliese slapped the candle away from her and Koukol pointed it at her again.
"Stay. Awaaaayyy," he groaned. His voice was so raspy that it seemed to Anneliese it took Koukol a great deal of effort to speak.
"The Count told me I could go anywhere in the castle I'd like to go and I'd like to go through this door." Anneliese tried to hurry through the door but Koukol poked her hard against her back with the candle again, over and over until she finally moved away from the door. "Ouch! Ouch! Koukol! Stop it!" He chased her with the candle until she started up the stairs and then he stood and watched, waiting until she turned down the hallway that lead to her bedroom before going about his duties.