On His Own

by cousin D

Gentle Alfred Cooper, who had been deeply wounded by a hard life, found himself in a village in Transylvania where he met the intimidating Count Von Krolock and his friendly son, Herbert. But Alfred carried with him a powerful artifact that Count Von Krolock hated so passionately that he would go to great lengths to destroy it even if it meant traveling half-way around the world.

10. Blooded

Chapter 10: Blooded

Alfred-

Lacroix stood perfectly still in the hall, his arms loose at his sides and a faintly amused look on his face. He was very well dressed in black and, on the lapel of his jacket, he had small silver pin shaped like a sword. "Well, it has been quite a while. Have you come to your senses about staying in that drafty pile of rocks you call a castle?"

"No, I quite like my castle." Count Von Krolock must have been used to Lacroix as he didn't seem a bit disconcerted about the mocking tone aimed at him. "We were passing through and I thought we would visit. If this is inconvenient I will of course find a hotel." The count removed his hat and pulled off his gloves, waiting while Herbert and Angus did the same. Alfred, who had no gloves but his knitted mittens, yanked those off and tugged off his cap.

"Don't be absurd." Lacroix didn't move an inch when he spoke. "I told you - my family is always welcomed. Do come in and rest." He smirked and looked right at Alfred. "Maybe we'll all have a bite."

Instantly, Alfred's eyes went wide and his hand went to his throat to protect it.

Lacroix's amusement faded. He narrowed his eyes at the count. "Is there something I should know?"

There was not the faintest possibility that the count was frightened of Lacroix. Alfred quite honestly believed that no one could frighten someone like Count Von Krolock. He was strong and smart and was certainly never afraid. Alfred, on the other hand, would have been content to run out of the building and never see Lacroix again. As that didn't seem like an option, he settled for discretely stepping behind Herbert when Lacroix's attention was diverted.

It was then that Count Von Krolock's brother, Nicholas, cleared his throat and entered the conversation with a disapproving tone that was, to Alfred's surprise, aimed at Lacroix. "I hardly think this drama is necessary, Lacroix. Boian is sensible and knows the code. He wouldn't do something so foolish."

Lacroix didn't bother to look at him. "Don't interfere, Nicholas. You are still in hot water yourself, you don't need to turn up the heat to defend Boian."

"But- "

"No! I have said all that will be said about that incident; it will not be repeated!"

"There is no reason to put your temper on Boian because we had an argument." Nicholas gave the count an apologetic look. "You'll have to excuse us, but…"

With a fierce snarl and eyes that glowed bright red, Lacroix was at Nicholas in a moment. He seized hold of Nicholas's neck with one hand and choked off Nicholas' words. With an effortless move, he spun on his heel and threw Nicholas down the hall where he landed with a thump and only stopped when he crashed against a wall so hard that a painting fell off the wall. Alfred blinked and Lacroix was at Nicholas in a move that seemed faster than lightening. He crouched over Nicholas and had a hand back on Nicholas' throat. He pressed down and Nicholas struggled. He kicked and swung his fists at Lacroix. He bared his fangs and hissed up from where he was pinned on the floor and his eyes glowed just as terribly red as Lacroix's had.

"Alfred. Alfred, listen to me." Herbert gave Alfred a little shake. "It's alright. They do this all the time. Everything's going to be fine."

Alfred heard Herbert and knew Herbert was trying to be understanding, but he couldn't take his eyes away from the battle. It was terrifying and, in a way, awe inspiring. The violence made Alfred want to hide in some dark corner, but the incredible strength they both had… it was indescribable.

When he spoke, Lacoix's voice was so low and distorted that he sounded animal-like. "I said – enough! You will be silent or I will MAKE you silent!"

Nicholas kicked and grabbed handfuls of Lacroix's jacket until Lacroix clenched his fingers around Nicholas' through and lifted a few inches off the ground only to slam him back to the floor so hard that Alfred sure if Nicholas had been human his skull would have cracked.

"You will obey!"

Finally, reluctantly, Nicholas went limp. His fangs receded and his glowing eyes faded back to their normal blue. He lay there for a few long moments until Lacroix seemed satisfied with the surrender and allowed him to stand.

The idea that the count might fight like that with Angus or Herbert was too fantastic to be believed.

Still burning with temper, Lacroix turned his back on Nicholas and strode towards the count. "Does he know? Answer me now!"

"Yes."

Angus stepped closer to Herbert and, together, the two young vampires tried to make a wall of themselves between Alfred and Lacroix.

"How long?"

Count Von Krolock answered, "Since the Midnight Ball."

"Do you mean to tell me that you have traveled all the way from your home with a mortal who knows?" Lacroix's fury seemed likely to explode at any moment. He closed his eyes a moment. "Why would have done something so foolish?" He stood a little taller and appeared to gain control of himself. "Come into the parlor and sit. We have things to discuss." Without waiting for a response, Lacroix turned and strode back where he'd come from.

Nicholas, when Lacroix had gone, slapped a hand on the count's shoulder. "I'm sorry about it, Boian. Best come in and deal with this; his temper won't cool by being made to wait." Then he, too, followed Lacroix and was gone.

"I'm not staying here!" Sarah harshly whispered. She took the count's arm with both hands and imploringly tugged at him. "Please, don't make me stay – he'll kill me!"

"He will do nothing of the sort." Count Von Krolock spoke with utmost conviction. "Nicholas is quite a bit older than you and Lacroix knows how much he can take without really hurting him. He won't discipline you more than you can stand and, if you are good and obedient, he won't discipline you at all. In fact, you are likely to be spoiled rotten by the time I return."

"But… but he's awful! And Mister Nicholas didn't do anything bad and he was just thrown around and choked and… and…" Sarah pleadingly looked up at the count. "Don't make me stay. I'll be good for you. I'll do just what you say and I won't get in your way – honestly."

"I know you would try, but this is for the best." The count took Sarah's hands and kissed her forehead. "You are safe here. He knows you are new and learning and he is an excellent teacher. All the same, let's not keep him waiting. Nicholas is quite right about his temper."

When they entered the parlor, with the count holding Sarah's arm so she couldn't flee, and Herbert holding Alfred's for exactly the same reason, Lacroix had already seated himself in an armchair by the fireplace and Nicholas stood at the window, staring out at the street.

At a gesture from the count, they all sat together on a sofa that faced Lacroix.

The room was so fine, filled with the luxuries of high life, that Alfred felt absolutely filthy. He wasn't mean to be in such a place. He was probably getting the furniture dirty just by sitting on it. What if he hadn't wiped his feet well enough on the front mat and he'd trod mud into the house? The last thing Alfred wanted to do was to cause some offense that would make Lacroix angry.

Once everyone was settled, Lacroix opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a chirp.

Everyone looked at Herbert.

"Ah!" Herbert fumbled at his jacket pocket. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't think she'd wake up here." To everyone's surprise, he pulled Poppy out of his pocket and held her carefully with both hands.

The count stared at Herbert in disbelief. "You brought your squirrel?"

"She needs me!"

Lacroix looked like he was getting ready to explode, again. "Why don't we get to the heart of the issue before I decide to remove someone's heart? Why are you here and why haven't you dealt with the boy?" He didn't spare Alfred a glance. "I am curious about your motives, my child."

"I am making a journey to recover a stolen item," the count answered without hesitation. "Sarah was made only hours after the theft and while I must find the thief, I wouldn't have her in a situation she isn't old enough to deal with. If, by chance, something happened to me and the boys, I wouldn't want her left alone when she can't control the hunger, yet."

"And you want me to… play nanny?" Lacroix leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. "And what on earth ever gave you the idea that I would be willing to mind your fledgling?" He cast a narrow look at Sarah. "And so young. You would abandon her at such an age?"

"No, of course not. But I don't want her in danger." The count raised a hand and gently stroked Sarah's hair. "I would have her somewhere safe and your protection is the safest place I can think of."

"How very flattering. And what has been stolen?"

The count hesitated and that struck Alfred as odd. The count wasn't hesitant about anything. But he distinctly caught the little pause the count made before he said, "A book. It's really nothing that I think would interest you, but…"

"Nothing to interest me? How could I not be interested when you deliver a fresh fledgling into my care without warning? Very unlike you. So, tell me – why is this book so valuable?"

"As I said, it's just a book."

Where he stood by the fireplace, Nicholas rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Boian, lying isn't wise."

But the count stiffened his shoulders. "It is the truth – I am looking for a stolen book. If you are unable to mind Sarah, then- "

At just that moment everyone went silent at the sound of the front door opening and closing and a woman's sweet voice called out, "I'm home!"

She was, without doubt, the most beautiful woman Alfred had ever seen. Her hair was dark as ink and her eyes, equally as dark as her hair, sparkled. She was small and fair, dressed very fashionably and carried a hat box in one gloved hand, showing that she had just come from shopping. Upon seeing them all in the sitting room, she gave a happy little squeal, set her hat box in a chair by the door, and ran to give each of them a hug. She fussed over Herbert's short hair and Angus' suit and she kissed Sarah's cheeks. She completely ignored Alfred. Being ignored was the first familiar, comfortable thing that had happened to Alfred in a long while so he immediately liked the beautiful woman.

"Janette," Lacroix nodded a stately greeting. "I have a project for you." He gestured lazily with one hand to Sarah. "This is your brother's newest fledgling. She will be staying with us for a time. Why don't you see if you can't find her something a little more fashionable to wear. I won't have her wandering about town looking like a poor relation."

"Of course." She took Sarah by the hands and pulled her to her feet. "My dear girl, you have such lovely hair. You will be a sight when we put you in some decent clothes." She put a hand to Sarah's cheek, examining her closely. "Perhaps some jewelry. Something subtle, something small. Rubies, I think."

Sarah seemed taken aback by all the attention. She rubbed the back of one leg with the opposite foot. "I don't want to be trouble."

"Nonesense!" Janette laughed. "It will be lots of fun."

Sarah looked from Janette back to the count. She looked worried and more than a little frightened. But the count gave her an encouraging nod. "Janette," the count said. "I'm sure Lacroix will tell you everything we've discussed, but Sarah is extremely young. I haven't even had time to teach her to hunt."

"Oh," Janette smirked. "No need to worry on that account. I am certain we will have a grand time with such fun lessons." Then she swept Sarah out of the room and they were gone.

Alfred looked away from the door the two woman had gone through and found Lacroix standing right in front of him. He grinned down at Alfred, a mocking, almost amused expression. "You'll tell me the truth won't you, young man?" His eyes were so bright; Alfred couldn't look away. He didn't want to look away. He felt like he was floating, but everything was quite alright so long as he kept listening to Lacroix. "Tell me, why is finding this book so important?"

He had to answer. He wanted to answer. "It's a magic book." A far off thought told Alfred that he shouldn't speak so openly about the count's business, but he really wanted to tell Lacroix everything. "Professor Abronsius stole it from a museum and then he died. Then Doctor Alibori stole it from me. It's a very evil book and the count wants it."

Lacroix very slowly turned to look at Count Von Krolock. His face twisted into an ugly sneer. "Magic? You are dragging your family across Europe, abandoning your fledgling, all for a magic book?" The stress he put on the word 'magic' made it sound like a vile swear, contemptuous. "Have you learned nothing!?"

Alfred felt Herbert's hand wrap around his and he blinked. The urge to please Lacroix slipped away and he was himself, again. He was suddenly aware that everyone was staring at him and he had to fight not to cringe under the attention. "What did I do wrong?"

Lacroix chuckled and stepped away from Alfred. "Nothing at all, young man. You told me everything I wanted to know."

But from how stiffly the count was sitting, Alfred wasn't at all sure he'd done a good thing. He peered around Angus at the count. "Sir?"

"It's nothing to worry about, Alfred. You're not in trouble."

"He may not be in trouble," Lacroix said, scathingly. "But you!" He fixed a hard look on Count Von Krolock. "I had imagined you would be over this primitive obsession with magic." He nearly spat the word, he was so disgusted. "There is no magic." The utter conviction with which he spoke was absolute.

Count Von Krolock sighed and Alfred had the sudden impression that this was an old argument. "Please, whether you believe or not…"

"You are a fool," Lacroix bit out. "Dragging the young ones across Europe on the trail of some mad mortal with a book. It was hard enough getting Angus civilized without you encouraging a belief in magic. There is no god, no devil, and there is NO magic. I am a man of reason and I will not lower myself to such superstitious nonsense!"

How he could say such things when he was a vampire and had a rather large vampire family, Alfred had no idea.

The count stood and faced Lacroix with what Alfred thought was great courage. The count folded his hands behind his back and bowed his head. "Will you keep Sarah here?"

"I can hardly take her from Janette, now can I? She sulks when her amusements are denied. Yes, I will keep the girl, but do not expect me to approve of this absurd venture of yours." With a sigh of resignation, Lacroix appeared to put his temper aside, but that was hardly reassuring as he turned his full attention on Alfred. "And this one?"

It seemed a very ominous question.

Lacroix snapped at Alfred, "Boy! Your name."

Alfred jumped to his feet. "Alfred, sir. Alfred Cooper."

"Age?"

"Nineteen, sir. I'll be twenty in a few months."

"What of your family?"

"I have none, sir. My mother died a long time ago. Sir," Alfred took a bold step forward, but kept his head bowed. "Please don't be cross at His Excellency, sir. It's been a real hard few days."

Nicholas, still looking out the window, snickered.

But Lacroix gave Alfred a pleased smile. "Do not laugh, Nicholas. It would do you well to see someone with decent manners." To Alfred he said, "You may sit, young man."

Nicholas replied with, "You only say that because he's called you 'sir' four times in the past minute."

"Yes. I do so appreciate good manners in the young." Then he looked at the count. "What are your plans for this one?"

"I will have him as my next fledgling. He was at my ball and knows about our kind, but I find him a worthy young man. I will keep him."

"And yet he is still mortal."

Alfred looked between the two men as they spoke, a sinking feeling in his gut. Beside him, Herbert leaned a little closer and took his hand. Alfred, for once, didn't have the slightest urge to pull away at the touch. In fact, he squeezed Herbert's hand.

Count Von Krolock spoke very calmly, as if that would, in turn, calm Lacroix. "I needed to allow him time to recover after the ball and then we had to leave the castle in great haste. As we are traveling, I wanted to keep him human until our travels were over so that he would be able to guard us during the day. If I try to turn him now he may not survive the attempt and that would leave us more vulnerable during the day."

The look Lacroix gave Alfred clearly showed he had little faith in Alfred being able to guard a turnip, let alone a family of vampires. Alfred quite agreed with him.

Lacroix raised an eyebrow, something Alfred had noticed the count did very often, too. "Your reasons are irrelevant. Our kind has survived very well without relying on mortals during the day for protection. You are nearly five-hundred-years old and you know the code. No mortal may know of us. You have very few options: turn him into one of us, kill him, make him a blooded, or erase his memory. If he does not survive his conversion, then it was not meant to be. You bury him and move on."

The cold tone of Lacroix's ultimatum was frightening, but Alfred found that his mind had frozen on the word 'erase'. The idea that his memory could be taken away was terrifying. He didn't have much in life, but at least his mind was his own. It struck Alfred very clearly that he would sooner die than have anyone steal his memory.

Lacroix sat back, steepling his fingers in front of him. "Boian, you must do something about this – now. I will tolerate your absurd belief in magic and your absolutely ridiculous notion to chase after a human with a magic book, but I will not abide you flagrantly waltzing about the world with a human in tow as if he were a pet. Do you want the Enforcers to start prowling around?"

"Of course not, but it is permissible for me to keep him as our daylight guard."

"Yes, it is – if the mortal you have chosen to be your guard is blooded. Is he?"

"… no."

"Then see to it; I will not allow him to leave this house until it is done." He stood up and gave the count a stern look. "You will deal with this issue now… or I will." Then he swept out of the room and was gone.

No more than three minutes later, Count Von Krolock had hurried everyone to one of the guest rooms Nicholas showed them to. Nicholas put a hand on the count's arm as they went into the room. "Are you going to be alright? Lacroix may be a little moody tonight, but he will help."

"No." The count gave Nicholas a reassuring smile. "I'm sure it will work out - I know the procedure. Thank you, though."

As soon as Nicholas had gone and they were alone in the room, Count Von Krolock urged Alfred to sit on the bed and make himself as comfortable as possible as it was quite likely that he wouldn't enjoy the process.

"But let me ask you first," Count Von Krolock asked when Alfred had sat on the side of the bed. "Do you want this? I told you that I would allow you to choose and I still will. If you prefer to have your memory of us taken, I will do that. I will see that you are cared for and safe before we leave, but there will be no changing your mind after that. You will never see us, again."

Alfred looked at Herbert, who stood very still without a trace of emotion on his face.

"I don't think I'd like that, sir."

"Then I will make you blooded. You will not be a vampire, but this will give us a connection of sorts and, by doing this, I am allowed to keep you without killing you or turning you into a vampire. We will worry about that later. I will bite you and take a little of your blood. You'll feel a few little changes, but you will not be hurt by the sunlight and you will not crave blood. You will be somewhere between a vampire and a human. Doing this will keep us away from the danger of the Enforcers."

"Are they very terrible?"

"Yes," Angus promptly answered. "They are vampires who hunt other vampires and they did not get into that position by being little balls of fluff. We want to avoid them at all cost."

The count asked Alfred, "Do you want this? Be certain."

There didn't seem to be a better choice, so Alfred nodded. "I'll do it, sir. Is it going to hurt?"

"I'm not certain," the count answered. "I was never blooded. It is not common. Angus and Herbert were made into vampires almost the moment I found them. We can tell you what that is like."

Herbert lay down on his stomach beside Alfred. "I thought it was very nice. I liked getting turned into a vampire."

"Aye," Angus grumbled. "And I hated it." He gave the count an apologetic look. "Forgive me, but I wouldn't to go through that pain again for all the world. If I'd known it would hurt so badly, I'd have asked you to leave me on the battlefield where you'd found me."

"And," the count added in. "When I was brought across, I had the unaccountable sensation that I weighed nothing at all. It is impossible to tell you what it will feel like for you, but I won't deliberately hurt you when that time comes and I won't hurt you, now. I will keep the pain from you, just as I did at the ball. Do you understand, pet?"

"Yes, sir." And, strangely, he wasn't very afraid. The count hadn't lied to him, not once. He'd gone out of his way to take care of Alfred. So, probably – hopefully – this would be alright. It couldn't possibly be as bad as the ball had been as there weren't a whole lot of strangers looming over him – it was only the count, who was being very gentle.

The count looked Alfred directly in the eyes, just as he had at the ball and commanded that Alfred feel no pain. The words echoed through Alfred's head. Then, Herbert's hand on his shoulder pushed a little, encouraging Alfred to lay down on the bed. "Try to relax."

Alfred tried, but there was only so relaxed a person could be in such a situation.

Herbert crossed his arms under his head while he lay on his stomach and smiled at Alfred. "Just keep looking at me and it'll be over before you know it."

And then Count Von Krolock bit.

Alfred gasped when he felt the sharp fangs slice into his neck and the count's cool mouth against his skin. There was a peculiar feeling of being sucked on. Alfred kept watching Herbert. The whole thing was unsettling, but Alfred wasn't really frightened. Herbert's face was calm and the count, as he drank from Alfred, held one of Alfred's hands and stroked the back of Alfred's hand with his thumb. Angus sat silently at Alfred's feet, watching it all intently with one hand resting on Alfred's foot. Alfred felt safe. They were all bigger and stronger than he was, but, for once, that was a good thing. He didn't feel small and overpowered – he felt protected.

The count pulled away from Alfred and, when Alfred turned his head to look up at the count, the man was dabbing his lips clean with a white handkerchief. "Very good, Alfred. You did very well. How do you feel?"

"I'm alright." While he was a bit light-headed, he didn't feel as exhausted as he had at the ball. "Is that it? Is it done?"

"Almost. Now, you may find this part a little… disconcerting, but it will only last a moment. When this is done, all will be finished and you will be able to rest." He tucked his handkerchief back into an inner pocket of his jacket. "It's nothing to be afraid of – you're just going to take a taste of my blood."

Alfred balked. If he were to let the count turn him into a real vampire, he would have to drink blood all the time, but that wasn't something he was all that eager to start. "Are you sure? Couldn't we skip that part?"

The count looked like he might laugh. "No. I'm afraid we can't do that. Just a little drink." He brought his wrist up to his mouth and bit himself. To Alfred, it seemed a savage bite, but the count hardly seemed to have felt it. He lowered his bleeding wrist to Alfred's mouth. "Open your mouth. I know this is distressing. There are you… just relax."

Alfred did as he was told and felt the blood run into his mouth and down his throat. The taste was strangely sharp. He didn't enjoy it, but managed to swallow until the count pulled his wrist away.

"Very good, Alfred," the count praised. "So very good."

It was downright shameful how good the praise made Alfred feel.

"There. That wasn't so terrible, was it?" Herbert used his thumb to wipe away the blood on Alfred's mouth, then lapped the blood off his thumb. "Father's right, you were very brave."

Alfred felt a warm, squirmy feeling, like a dozen butterflies were inside his stomach. He wasn't sure if he should thank Herbert for the compliment or not, but before he could make up his mind… something changed.

He let out a cry and stared down at himself, horrified.

"Lad?" Angus asked. "What's the trouble?"

He could FEEL it! Alfred sat up and started rubbing at his arms, but the feeling didn't go away. He could feel something moving under his skin. He started scratching himself. It didn't help. He scratched his arms, he legs, the back of his neck, his head – any part of his body he could reach. Nothing helped. It was maddening!

Herbert sat up and frowned at Alfred. "Darling, what's wrong? Please… you'll hurt yourself if you keep scratching."

But Alfred couldn't stop. "I can't! It's like… bugs under my skin! It won't stop!" He could feel things moving under his skin, could feel their tiny legs walking around inside him and he wailed, "Make it stop! Please!" Alfred suddenly felt the little bugs move under the skin of his face. Alfred screamed and raised his hands up to scratch and, in his desperation to get the things out from under his skin, he sunk his fingernails deep into his cheeks and clawed himself, leaving deep, bloody gashes down the sides of his face.

To be continued…