Who's read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? I HAVE!
Disclaimer: Nothing but the OCs. Nope. Zero. Ziltch
Chapter 7:
To Be Caught Off Guard
Hours later, Lauren sat quietly on her couch with Emma beside her, trying to cheer her up. "Emma, I've always resisted seduction! Always! I've never had a problem doing so! But with Dracula… Oh God with Dracula… I felt like a puppet! Weak and useless unless Dracula pulled my strings! No one has ever done that to me!" she cried. Emma hugged her sister. "You are not weak and useless! Seduction is subtle. People were created with cravings. It's the way we're programmed. All Dracula did was catch you off guard."
"But he shouldn't have been able to! Not to this extent!" Lauren cried in shame. "Emma I felt.. I felt like I was on fire… If you hadn't come…"
"You would have gotten yourself out of it! You're too strong to fall for Dracula! Why, with everything that's happened with Mom and Dad, you're as tough as steel! Not once did I ever see you cry when Dad left! Not once during those years! You helped to pick up the slack in the house, and you were always the one to calm Mom down! You're easily the strongest person I've ever met!"
"Thanks," Lauren whispered feebly. "But as to the crying thing, I'm just not a crying person. Not usually anyway." Lauren took a deep breath and sighed. "Dracula really did a number on me, but he'll regret it. I'll make sure of that. There's a reason why I don't let men touch or control me, and he's going to learn!" Emma grinned to herself. Her kick-ass sister was coming back. "Dracula thinks he's broken you down right?"
"Probably," Lauren replied darkly. "The arrogant bastard," she added. Giggling, Emma continued, "If Dracula thinks he's beaten you, then he'll be expecting you to be responsive to his seduction right?"
"Right..."
"So all you have to do the next time you fight him is play seductress, then when he's in range, go in for the kill!" Emma proclaimed excitedly. Lauren smirked, and her eyes shone at the thought. "Oh.. That revenge is worth having him touch me again! Thanks for making me feel better Em!"
"Of course! What are sisters for?" They embraced and laughed together. "Now Lauren," Emma began. "Maybe I should stay with you until you vanquish Dracula, just so he doesn't catch you off guard again."
"No. Thanks for the offer, but I can't let you. That could endanger David!" Emma paused fearfully at the thought. That had not occurred to her. "But what about you? Dracula wants you, he already proved how determined he is by getting into your apartment!"
"I know," Lauren replied. "But I won't let you guys get hurt just because I've got Count Lust-A-Lot lusting after me!" Emma broke into an uncontrollable fit of laughter at the nickname, but managed to collect herself after a few minutes. "Yeah, but Count Lust-A-Lot wants to make you his bride! An eternity by his side and in his bed!" Lauren cringed at the thought. "I'd fight him every step of the damned way!"
Emma smiled. "I'd almost feel bad for him, almost. But what happens if he gets you under his mind control? I know you'd fight it, but even the most powerful of minds have broken thanks to Dracula's stare." Lauren sternly looked her sister in the eye. "If Dracula succeeds in biting me, I have no doubt in myself for fighting him off as long as I can, but I refuse to live with him for all eternity as his sex object! I'll stake myself before that happens if I'm bitten!"
Emma's face paled in fear. "No Lauren! You could live as a vampire! You could fight the inner demon!"
"No, I couldn't. And if, if I'm bitten and I can't stake myself, you have to do it for me." Emma gulped. She really did not like where this conversation was going. "I-I don't think I could Lauren. You're my sister!"
"Emma you have to if I'm bitten! I will not be the Son of the Devil's Whore! I will not! I've fought too hard in my life for it to end like that! I know that my chances of defeating Dracula are slim, especially since I don't have any active powers, and potions have no affect on him. So we have to face the fact that Dracula could bite me! If that happens, I have to be killed. If I were bitten, Lauren DiCamillo your sister would be gone, only Dracula's slut would remain! Do you understand? Just like how Mom is gone, I'd be gone!"
Emma nodded. "I understand. I'll do it, but for the love of God, Lauren, please don't get bitten!"
"I'll do my best, no promises though." Emma didn't laugh. Clearing her throat, it was time to change the subject. "Hey, why don't you go out with me and David tonight? We're going to the movies."
"And be the odd-one out? Nah, I'll stay here and work on my latest theory of killing Dracula: Fire and werewolf venom mixed together."
"Oh no you don't! You've hardly left this apartment except to hunt Dracula, buy more potion ingredients, and hunt Dracula some more!" Lauren rolled her eyes. "Well, if I can kill Dracula, then we can go to the movies as much as you want."
"Nuh uh! You are not getting out of this Lauren! You are going to come with us to the theatre, and that's that!"
"David won't like me interrupting your date! He wasn't happy when I interrupted you guys at that café when you two were glued to each other's lips!"
"We'll sit in the back and you can sit somewhere else!"
"Oh yeah! That would be so much fun!" Lauren shot back. "Maybe you'll meet someone! Then you can take your mind off Dracula and focus on some other hot guy!"
"Hello! Emma! I have a perverted man after me! The last thing I need is worrying about some other guy getting caught in the crossfire! Not to mention, I take Dracula as the jealous type. He might do something to a guy that shows interest in me, especially if I'm interested right back."
"Then don't meet a guy. Expand your list of friends! Please come Lauren!! Please!" Emma begged. Lauren rolled her eyes and sighed long and loud. "Fine. But I won't like it! And I refuse to see a Sci-fi or a chic flick!"
"Not a problem. A) Obviously David won't want see a Chick Flick, and B) Sci-fi isn't my cup of tea either. I'll go back to my place, get ready, and we'll meet you at the theatre." Emma walked to the door as Lauren slumped on her couch in defeat. "Oh come on Lauren! You're acting like this is a death sentence!"
"Well, it kinda is, you see I'm going to be out at night. Dracula will be out at night. Do we see the pattern yet?" Lauren replied, scowling.
"Oh come on, we'll be in public. Dracula can't do anything to you with people all around." Opening the door, Emma told her sister good-bye and closed the door tight before heading to her car. Lauren grabbed her ipod and slouched on the couch. She needed some music to keep her company for the next few hours. Maybe a break from killing Dracula would be a good thing. Then she could start off with fresh and new ideas. True, she had that one werewolf claw, but she didn't want to use it unless she absolutely had to. Scrolling down her playlists, she settled for listening to Within Temptation, closed her eyes, and let the music wash over her like a caressing curtain of calm.
(Transition)
Dracula smiled as his fellow vampires congratulated him. He had told them it would only be a matter of time before he scratched the surface with Lauren! He had told them so! And now they were all in awe of them, these newer vampires. As it should be. He was older and more powerful than all of them. He was owed respect! And he had it from each and every demon in the room, even Alan Barlow, the one who would dare mock him!
"Congratulations Count," he said with a hint of regret laced into his voice. "No one has successfully seduced a DiCamillo and lived to tell about it in years."
"Why thank you Alan. I assure you, Lauren is within my grasp. Very soon, we will have a demon hunter on our side." The demons cheered at the thought. Having a being of Good turned to their side would massively tip the scale! "And now my fellow gentlemen and demons, I propose that we feast upon mortals, as a reward for striking a blow against the forces of Good!" They roared in agreement and transformed into hell beasts. Hungry with the need to feed, the vampires took flight in search of the lucky mortal that would be their meal.
As he flew, Dracula could not help but think of the blonde huntress he was seducing. In all of his life, a woman had never taken this long to even just scratch the surface! But she was no ordinary woman. But he would have her. Thinking of his empty soul, he remembered his curse of being hollow. But thinking back to when he kissed Lauren, he felt an odd sense of warmth and longing for the witch. How peculiar.
Perhaps she could rekindle what was left of his heart? But that was impossible was it not? The Devil had told him so. But he had also told him that he would never feel incomplete, which he did. All his father had said was that it was Dracula's fault for that, so Dracula had found Marishka in the hopes that having three women to please him would make him feel complete. It did not. He felt worse. And the same could be said each time he failed to bring his children to life. But perhaps Lauren, once she was turned, could be a suitable partner. After all, in some ways, she was like him- Stubborn, determined, strong, witty, and powerful.
Yes, despite her magical handicap, she was powerful. Those potions had stung like ghosts of flames charring his skin. He had also tasted a drop of her blood mixed into one of the potions. That made him crave her being more so than he already did! Gliding down with the other vampires, he landed soundlessly and listened for a heartbeat. A small part of him hoped to hear Lauren's, even if all he did was listen to it. But she would probably be in her apartment. Not out in the city when it was night. The vampires split up to find their own prey. Leaving Dracula to ponder his own thoughts.
(Transition)
Sitting in the theatre about five rows from where Emma and David were making out, Lauren watched the film and popped some pop-corn into her mouth, followed by a sip of her cherry icy. Jurassic Park IV actually wasn't that bad. It had surprised her that they had gone to this for a date movie, but Emma and David were too busy tonguing each other to really notice the movie anyway.
Watching as a pack of raptors tore a paleontologist apart, Lauren couldn't help but be impressed. The special effects in this were surprising well done. Sometimes they were so bad she wanted to rip her own hair out. Not in this one though, the blood and carcass that was flying in every direction looked plenty real to her.
Turning back to take a peak at David and Emma, she rolled her eyes. Emma was now in David's lap. How could someone have no self-control like that? Sheesh. Lauren couldn't imagine what it was like to always want to be glued to someone else. She liked her alone time. It was a miracle no one had reported them to the manager yet and kicked them out. Then again, it would be fun to do that. No, she couldn't do that to Emma. But her face would be hysterical though.
Gluing her eyes back to the screen, all the blood and the suspense from the hunt suddenly brought her thoughts to Dracula. That's all she could think about lately. The Transylvanian Count had been plaguing her dreams too. Mostly it was of him biting her, and she was his bride followed by evil laughter before she woke up. But she had a few dreams where he was just sitting with her, talking and maybe even holding her hand before kissing her. And she let him.
That couldn't be right. She would never in a million years let that happen! Never! These dreams had to be coming from the stress of being faced with a powerful and attractive demon. That was it. She was slightly attracted to him by his looks, but that was all. End of story. But once again, her conversations with him ate at her again, his voice echoing after each memory.
"I think not, you see, I need to feed."
"Lauren, they were drug addicts. They would have died by their own hands soon enough as it was. This way, they served as my meal so I did not have to harm anyone else. Like a family member or someone close to you."
Lauren bit her lip. "It's still murder!" she insisted angrily. "No one deserves to die like that!"
Dracula shook his head. "If they had died by the drugs, it would have been slow and painful. By me biting them, it was quick and nearly painless."
"Be that as it may, you still have murdered people who did not deserve to die! You weren't punished for those crimes, so I'll do it for those that failed to!"
"Like who?" Dracula questioned. "Who do you know that I murdered that did not deserve it?"
Lauren gave him a bitter smirk. "Like Van Helsing."
Dracula's eyes darkened and narrowed at the name. "He deserved to die!" he hissed.
"For what?" Lauren challenged. "For killing monsters like you? Demonic murderers in human form?"
"You do not know what you are saying Lauren. I would suggest you drop the subject," Dracula warned. "Van Helsing is the reason I became a vampire! If you wish to blame anyone for what I have become, and who I have killed, it is him!"
"How would he have anything to do with it? You made a pact with the Devil! Don't tell me he forced you to!"
Dracula's nostrils flared as he fought the urge to snarl. "Van Helsing betrayed me! He murdered me! That is why I made the pact!"
"Come here, my little singer." His eyes glittered with hints of lust as he forced her to look into his eyes. "I like this position, don't you?"
"Who said we had to be enemies? Just because you are a witch and I am a vampire, does not mean we cannot… get along."
"But would an enemy get this reaction out of you?"
"This was only a taste of what I could do to you Lauren, if you would let me. Know this, no matter how hard you try; you will never kill me. And I always get what I want! You will belong to me!"
Lauren sucked in her breath as the last memory played. She belonged to no one! Least of all him! Who did he think he was! She would find a way to kill the demon that was Dracula! She would or die trying!
(Transition)
Walking from the theatre to an ice cream parlor across the street, Lauren was annoyed. Why? Because he sister sent her ahead to place their order while she and David went to the bathroom. Guess what, they didn't go to the bathroom. They headed to the car and were glued to each other again. Lauren would not be ordering their ice cream. They both already had had enough 'candy' as it were.
Sitting down alone at a table in the empty parlor, she nibbled at her scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and silently let her mind wander. She was not knocked out of her thoughts until the bell at the door rang again and a dark haired man about her age stumbled in. Lifting her head up, Lauren watched him order a scoop of French vanilla ice cream before sitting down at the table next to hers and very slowly ate his ice cream.
He had dark brown eyes that at the moment were dimmed with sadness, slightly tanned skin, and from the looks of his shirt, not a bad build either. His features showed that his mind was on other things besides eating ice cream. He seemed very troubled about something. Normally Lauren wouldn't pry, but she felt an impulsive urge to talk to him. "Uh…Hey! I hope I'm not intruding…but would you mind if I joined you?"
The man looked up and half-heartedly replied, "Sure. I don't care."
Standing up with a smile, Lauren stepped over to his table and took a seat. "Thanks. My name's Lauren."
"Christopher."
"Hey, my nephew's name is Christopher!" Lauren replied, trying to get a conversation going. "Um… I don't want to pry, but is something wrong? I mean, I know I'm a stranger in all, but you look like you could use a talk."
"I found out my girlfriend was cheating on me," he murmured so softly that Lauren barely caught it.
"Oh no! I'm sorry," Lauren exclaimed. Boy could she relate to cheating! She had sat with her mother so many times during her father's absence, she had felt like she had been the one cheated on too. "I can sort of relate. My dad cheated on my mom. What happened?"
"Sorry 'bout your mom. I went to pick my girlfriend up, and found her kissing some other guy. The end," Christopher sourly answered.
"I'm sorry. Don't take this the wrong way, but if she's cheated on you, then she probably isn't worth your time. Cheaters can't help but cheat at some point in a relationship. Besides, everything happens for a reason. You'll be laughing at her in the end I'll bet!"
Christopher cracked a weak smile. "Thanks. So what's with you? You're boyfriend on his way?"
"No."
"Oh," Christopher replied, but there was a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I don't have a boyfriend."
"Oh?" Was it just Lauren, or did Christopher seem slightly happier? "You seemed surprised."
"Oh it's just…you don't look or seem like the type of girl that'd be without a guy with her is all…." he choked and looked down with an obvious blush. Lauren smiled and blushed as well. "Thanks. I'm flattered really. But I don't have much luck with guys. I usually attract jerks." Christopher raised an eyebrow and grinned. "So does that make me a jerk?" Lauren leaned closer to him and took a lick of her ice cream. "Hmmm.. I don't think so. But I'll keep my eye on you anyway." Christopher laughed. "You know what?" he asked, all traces of sadness gone.
"What?"
"I think you're right. My girlfriend cheated and dumped me for a reason." He looked her right in the eye and smiled. Lauren smiled lightly and felt another blush coming on. She hadn't clicked with a guy this fast in ages!
(Transition)
Dracula leisurely walked about the streets. He had fed from a few smokers he had found, and was now just relaxing and enjoying the night-his element. As he walked, he suddenly heard a familiar heartbeat. "Lauren?" He said aloud. She was out? And she seemed…. happy about something…. She was too far to get a good lock on what she was thinking. Picking up speed, he arrived in front of a window of the ice cream parlor. Glancing in, he saw Lauren. And he felt sick.
Lauren was leaning in close to some man she was with. They were too close for his liking. Much too close. He felt a low growl radiate from within him. How dare Lauren go off and be.. be laughing and happy with someone else! He was the one that had set her on fire only a few hours ago! How could she!! He felt like he was falling into a pit of black, yet he could still see Lauren with the man. Watching her laugh at something the man said, he felt like ripping the building apart and sucking every last drop of blood from the man. He wanted to break him and drag Lauren away from him. He wanted to fly away and never look back, but he couldn't look away. He had never seen Lauren like this. Except for when she was singing, he had never seen her smile.
Unable to watch anymore, Dracula materialized to her apartment and entered. It was unoccupied, so he had no trouble getting in. Sitting on her bed, he reveled in her scent and sighed. He would wait for her to come home. Obviously his seduction hadn't stuck. But besides the sight he had just seen, something else bothered him. Something burned hotly within him.. but it wasn't lust or hunger… what was it? Some emotion that seemed so unreal.. He had never felt it.
"What is this feeling?" he mused. "Why do I feel so threatened?" It hit him and his eyes widened in shock. An emotion he never had to feel before. He only invoked it from others.
Jealously.
AWW!! Poor Dwaccy-poo!! Btw, Jurassic Park 4 is supposed to come out in either 2008 or 2009. I have no clue what's gonna happen, however someone ALWAYS get's eaten so..yeah. That's why I put that.
What do you guys think of Christopher? Look up '21 Jump Street Johnny Depp' on google images! That's what Christopher looks like! Heehee, if there was no Dracula, I'd make him be Lauren's love interest, but alas, there is Dracula. But what do you guys think? Should it become a triangle? Just friends? Dracula kills him and then Lauren really hates him? You're the reader, you tell me what you want!
-ForeverACharmedOne
