He spoke a chant and Michael removed the vial as I regained my bodily movements. Then I suddenly froze when a large, wooden splinter went flying right by my head and straight into the other wall like a dart. Everyone's eyes were on the broken doors; only a few hits and the Dwergi would enter.

"Enough!" Dracula commanded in a booming voice.

His servants stopped and stepped aside as their master came through the now destroyed barrier. "I have come to take back what you stole from me, Gabriel."

Then he locked his eyes on me and seemed to be silently calling out to my soul as he approached.

"Don't let them stop you, my angel. Remember your promise."

"My promise . . ." I uttered as I took a few steps toward him with dazed eyes.

"No! You are falling into his trap!" Marlus cried as he was about to run forward in an attempt to stop me.

Van Helsing raised an arm and halted the king. "Stay where you are. She has to resist him herself, or else she'll never truly be on our side."

Both Michael and Marlus waited impatiently as Dracula seemed to lure me in.

"Come, and let us leave these fools behind," the vampire lord continued to seduce.

"My friends . . . I won't see them die!" I suddenly regained my senses and stood my ground.

"Alright; have it your way. Seize her!"

Two Dwergi appeared out of nowhere and grabbed my wrists. They were short little buggers, but were extremely strong. I was about to chant a spell when I was stopped.

"My servants are invulnerable to magic, so anything you try will fail."

All his attention was on me as Michael started panicking.

"We've got to save her, great-uncle! We've got to do something!"

"Does it look like I have a plan written on my face?! You need to start thinking for yourself, Michael, because I'm not going to be around forever to keep saving you," Van Helsing shouted back as he leaned against the wall in pain, anger & frustration on his face.

"Then I will go," Marlus surprisingly stated. "Unhand the lady, you fiends!" he bellowed as he drew his sword and charged at the closest Dwergi.

"Are you in such a rush to die?"

Dracula instantly appeared right in front of Marlus, stopping him in his tracks. Then he clutched the king by the throat and raised him in the air. Marlus began choking on the tight grasp.

"Just leave them alone! It's me you want!" I yelled as I struggled.

"You should have thought of that before you betrayed me; now you will watch your heroes die one by one! Then I will deal with you," he snapped back with glaring eyes.

"Then I am sorry," I murmured.

With one last bit of effort, I managed to throw off the Dwergi momentarily, and I took off running to the other side of the room. Van Helsing stood up again and Michael rushed to my aid as I barely made it through to them. He was holding his own with a saber, but two against one odds weren't exactly the best. Now Dracula was absolutely furious.

He faced Marlus who was now almost to the brink of suffocating, and drew him steadily closer as several fangs came out of a growing mouth. I overcame my shock and reached into one of my packs hastily, bringing up a small glass bottle full of a yellow liquid. Van Helsing looked at me as if I were mad; Marlus was fighting for his life.

"Michael, take this! It's the only thing that can save us!"

He came back as I traded the bottle for his sword and picked up where he left off. One of the Dwergi was severely injured, and I soon ended its misery with one swipe.

"What exactly is it?" He asked as he took the top off and looked at the bottle for a brief moment.

"Werewolf venom! But hurry up and drink it!" I yelled back, going on the offensive against the last Dwergi.

After a gulp, he brought the liquid to his lips and finished it in one swallow. Dracula realized what was going on, stopped his attempted murder, and stared in horror as Michael began to transform.

To be continued—more chapters on the way! Promise!