Chapter 11

After a few minutes of silent fuming, Sam went back over what Vlad had said. He hadn't given her many clues as to where they were or what he wanted… maybe he would be less tight-lipped at dinner. She looked around for a dresser or even a closet, but found nothing.

How am I supposed to "get ready" when there's no clothes or anything? Sam wondered, annoyed. She paced around anxiously, wondering what Vlad would do during dinner.

After a long, anxious while, a well-dressed, tall man entered the room. It sounded like he'd had to unlock several things before he was able to even open the door.

"Are you ready for dinner?"

"I guess. He didn't really leave me much to wear," Sam tried to lace every word with sarcasm, but the man didn't acknowledge her. Instead, he held the door open and held it while she walked through. It fell shut with a heavy thud that made Sam jump a little.

He led her down a very long, gothic-looking hallway and took several twists and turns, finally climbing a set of stairs and ending up in a high-ceilinged dining room. It was filled with a mahogany table that stretched almost the entire length of the hall and big, elegant chairs all around it. Sam didn't see Vlad, but the butler slid out a chair next to the head of the table and helped her sit down.

"So glad you joined me," a slimy voice came from behind her. Sam shivered and looked down at her plate, hoping that she wouldn't have to see who the voice belonged to. "It's impolite to not look at your host, you know."

Sam blinked hard, sighed, and looked up. She let out a yelp, but it took all of her self-control not to scream. Danny had been to kind about how Vlad looked – he looked like a living corpse. For a second, Sam thought wildly that Vlad had caught some sort of zombie virus, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind so she could focus on getting through dinner.

"It's also rude to not greet your host when he has so graciously allowed you into his home and his table."

"Thank you." Sam clipped her words short but didn't dare speak out in front of him, just in case he decided she didn't need to be kept alive after all.

"Well, it's an improvement." Vlad pulled his chair out and sat down, moving more elegantly than Sam expected him to. Neither of them spoke for a moment as several rather creepy-looking men in white chef's clothes came out and served food on big, silver platters. "So… Sam. Danny has finally settled down? When was the wedding?"

"We aren't married." Sam watched Vlad as he pulled some chicken and steamed vegetables off of the biggest platter, but she didn't move or reach for anything, even though her stomach was growling angrily at her.

"Please, eat something, it's delicious and made organically." Vlad's voice sounded greasy and it made Sam's stomach churn. "And you'll need to feed your bastard child too. I won't have you ruining this for me."

There was a noise in Sam's ear and it took her a moment to figure out that it was her – she was grinding her teeth. She stopped immediately and rearranged her face into what she hoped was a blank expression; she didn't want to give Vlad the satisfaction of knowing he was getting under her skin.

"Tell me about the pregnancy?" Vlad said, but it didn't sound much like a question.

"What's there to tell? We had sex. I got pregnant." Sam tried to keep her voice low and short. She didn't want to go into any details of her life with him, but was scared of his temper.

"I know how babies are made," Vlad snapped. "But have you been eating well? Gaining weight? Are you low-risk?"

"Why?"

"Because I asked." There was something in his tone that made Sam shiver. She decided to answer him… but her way.

"I'm low-risk so far… eating okay… I haven't been keeping track of my weight."

Vlad was quiet for a moment before launching into what appeared to be a rehearsed speech.

"That's going to change now that you're under my care. You will report to the dining room three times a day for your meals, and if you feel hungry between them, I will install an alarm system in your room so you may ring one of the clones for one. We will figure out how well-behaved you are and that will determine your exercise schedule. That is, if you and the baby pass my tests and can handle having a natural birth."

Sam was so shocked by what she was hearing that her mouth hung open slightly.

"So eat."

The rest of the meal passed in a very strange silence, and Sam was quite relieved when he released her to go back to her room. Her head was still buzzing with everything he had told her, but Vlad had not gone into why he wanted her baby or how the birth would go. The only thing he told her was that she was to be awake and ready by eight the next morning so he could perform some tests on her and the baby.

The bed may have been comfortable, but when Sam fell into it, all she could feel was ice where Danny's body should have been and an ache in her heart.

Where are you, Danny? Please don't let Vlad take our baby…

And she cried herself to sleep.

…

A/N: Sorry I never posted yesterday! It has been a crazy busy couple of days – including taking my son to the zoo for the first time! Anyway, I've finally finished this chapter and I'm already planning out the next one. I hope y'all enjoy!