Excerpt From The Official Reaper Rulebook:
12. A "Dance of Death" is only allowed if the dying person(s) refuse to leave their body after dying.
Dracula carefully picked himself up off the ground, his head throbbing painfully from the blood he'd consumed three hours ago. It had been a foolish move, he was well aware of that, but humans had become scarce on the streets and Vanessa's death had left him extremely weakened.
A puddle of blood seeped into the rug, the dark blue standing out against the cream-colored threads. He watched it for a moment, waiting for his stomach to cease its churning, and found himself wondering why Reaper blood wasn't red. Ranger blood is silver and angel blood golden; such strange colors for such strange creatures. But his blood was as red as Vanessa's had been, and hers was splattered all across the pristine white walls in a chamber of the warehouse.
"Renfield," he croaks, barely managing to lift himself into a nearby chair. The warehouse seemed empty apart from the faint sounds of scurrying mice and a ruined familiar. Renfield was little better than a rat in Dracula's opinion, but he served a purpose and was malleable in his hands. "Renfield!"
"Coming, Master!" The scurrying grew louder and then Dracula could hear the sound of the familiar climbing the stairs on all fours like a dog. He was more beast than man at this point, the virus wreaking havoc in his brain and blood; fever would be making his entire body ache, a horrible pressure building behind his eyes, swollen gums around pointed canines. Dracula has suffered the change himself and had watched his brother endure one so similar and so different.
Lucifer had writhed on the ground for days, wounds splitting open across his pale skin and spilling his golden blood into the dirt. Brands had been raised along his back and chest, horrible marks that were pale pink amongst the gore, and his hair began to fall out in handfuls until he was as smooth as the day he was created by their Father. He spoke in what used to be the High Speech, so very twisted and hissed as body and mind were broken.
By the time the transformation had been completed they were both regretting their rebellion in Heaven. Lucifer, his elder brother that could do no wrong, was cast further beneath the earth to dwell in Hell; forced to spend his days amongst hellfire and the stinking of sulfur. But Lucifer was clever beyond all else, he still had his golden blood and he shared it to his followers until he'd created his own race.
It had been Rangers at first, fierce and holding the rage of their master; deadly like the Archangels and holding none of the mercy. They were meant to be unfeeling creatures that cared only for chaos and destruction of God's most precious humans. And feeding on that power allowed Lucifer to regain a shadow of his former glory, the form of a man with golden hair and a shield of sarcasm to protect him.
And now here he was, still rebelling and feeling as though half of himself has been ripped away with his Queen.
"Did you bring me what I demanded," he asks, voice hoarse as he turns to face Renfield. The familiar nods with a crazed grin, looking like a child eager to show his father what he's done.
"She's downstairs, Master. Waiting for you with such delicious blood in her veins." On shaking legs, Dracula makes his way carefully down the stairs and over to the body slouched against the rusted door of the warehouse. The girl he turned over was young a beautiful, smelling sweet like all humans did if they were not ravished with disease or dying. She couldn't be more than sixteen and she certainly wouldn't be seeing seventeen.
The guise of a gentleman falls away as he sinks his fangs into the girl's neck, warm blood filling his mouth in gushes. He wasn't particularly fond of the taste, too much like copper on his tongue, but it filled his belly and gave him the strength he needed to take his bride back by force.
He doesn't move until she's a drained husk, throwing her body away from him as he stood. Renfield was just behind him, fidgeting with his waistcoat and eyeing the body lustfully. He would need to feed soon or he would be of no use, so Dracula snatched up a fleeing rat and threw it to the familiar.
"Eat," he commands," and then we will reclaim what was taken from me."
The trip to Grandage Place was a lot easier this time around, Riley and Andrew taking their time to ensure he wasn't too exhausted by the time they arrived. The snow drifts have gotten higher during the time they'd spent inside, reaching mid-calf on Riley now. She did her best to ignore the cold, two bags slung over her shoulders and one arm wrapped securely around Andrew's waist.
"Just a little longer," she promised every time they made it a full block, her grip tightening further whenever he stumbled. By the time they made it to the front door of number eight, she was basically supporting all of his weight and her nose was stinging from the constant exposure to the cold wind. "Malcolm, open the damn door!" There was the sound of hurried footsteps and then the door was opened wide by the owner.
"Who's this," he asks, taking Andrew from her so she could straighten up again.
"Andrew Till, I found him in an alley." She kicks the heavy metal door shut behind her once she was in the entryway, dropping her bags to the floor and rubbing at her sore shoulder. "Put him in a guest room with as many blankets you can spare and a bucket in case he gets sick."
"That seems like a lot of trouble for a boy you've just found."
"Yeah, well, pardon me for not wanting to be responsible for the death of a baby." And he was still a baby in her mind, just ten years old with an entire life ahead of him. It wasn't fair that Dracula had used him for feeding, but most of the things Dracula did wasn't fair. Hell, the only reason she'd been able to escape from him was because he was just as hungry as his minions and he didn't have a healthy one around. It's a good thing he gets impatient when he's hungry or Riley would probably be in the cemetery right now with no choice but to resurrect Vanessa.
"Are you alright, Miss Liu?" The genuine concern in his voice gave Riley pause, making her look at him with raised brows. "You look exhausted and you're covered in…. Well, I'm not exactly certain what that blue stuff on your neck is."
"My blood." She kneels on the floor, ignoring his baffled expression as she dug through her bag for a piece of chalk. "Get him to bed and I'll ward your front door." Better than my own was warded because I don't need another surprise visitation.
She selects a bright pink piece of chalk, using it to draw the symbols along the bottom of the door; crisscrossing triangles, bits of Latin surrounded by her Reaper Mark, and even a few of the Ranger symbols that she wasn't supposed to know. It really paid off to have a best friend that loved to spite Lucifer sometimes. Once she was done, she stood up and wiped her hands off on the skirt of her dress with little care as to how it dirtied the fabric.
"Uh, would you like to take a bath and wash off your blood?"
"Maybe later, but right now I need to borrow a bowl." She takes off for the kitchen, leaving Malcolm to take care of the boy while she made a quick call. It didn't take her long to find it, snatching up a clean knife and a bowl off one of the counters, slicing open her palm and allowing the blood to flow into the bowl until a few inches of it were full. Her cut healed itself as she closed her hand into a fist, grabbing up a spare rag and tying it around her palm.
It took a moment, but the blood slowly began to bubble and turn silver in places, swirling faster and faster until it was just a blur of colors. Just as the colors twined together, it all stopped and revealed a face staring up at her from the liquid's surface.
"This had better be good," Jas grumbles as she sits up on the couch. She had a plate of barbequed ribs on her lap and her curls done up in a messy bun at the top of her head.
"Oh, I think you'll find it interesting." The Ranger arches a brow at that, gesturing for Riley to explain with a rib in her hand. "Know any surefire ways to keep Dracula from hunting me down like a bloodhound?" Riley waits patiently as the other woman goes stock still, the rib halfway to her mouth.
"What in the hell did you just ask," a man questions, his head popping into frame a moment later. He was a little darker skinned than his little sister, but Flynn and Jas did share a few features. The Took siblings all took after their father in looks, Flynn looking more like him than the twins did. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, I kind of pissed him off a second ago and I'd like some reassurance."
"Right," Jas nods after a bit. She sets her rib back on her plate, but not before some of the barbecue sauce drips down onto her shirt. "Uh…. Strong warding is all I've got. Flynn?" He shrugs and shakes his head, disappearing again. "Use some of the Ranger symbols I taught you— Don't be such a baby, Flynn, she was gonna find out about them eventually!" She delivers a smack to her older brother's shoulder for good measure before meeting Riley's gaze again. "Go over everything twice, it usually makes it more affective since Master and Dracula can't stand each other."
"Yeah, I don't think him and Luci have gotten along at all since their Fall."
"Well, I gotta go help Flynn out with some things since he's leaving in a few hours."
"Tell her no more coffee," Flynn shouts," it's her tenth cup already!" That sparked an argument between the two, Riley shutting down the connection with a fond smile. It was great to see Jas finally relaxed after the death of her son. It had been about five years or so, but Riley knew a loss like that never really dimmed for a mother. If I lost Han so violently, then I'd probably tear the world apart in my pain.
Riley quickly empties out the mixture in the bowl and washes it before moving back to the front door, going back over the warding and adding a few more to keep out any supernatural being that wasn't a Reaper or a werewolf. Once it was finished, she shoves the piece of chalk back into her bag and stand up, dusting off her hands with a satisfied smile.
"Oh yeah," she nods," ain't nobody getting through that."
