A/N: Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra are not mine they are Dan Brown's

XII

The imposing atmosphere of the decrepit building would have seemed to crush a normal visitor. The soft glow from the inside merely gave its windows a sinister glare to the guest, watching as he readied his gun for a faster withdrawal. Langdon could already pick up on the morbid activities that began without his presence. His clothes waved against the wind, the gun carefully concealed in his coat. The moans and stifled screams of pleasure reminded him of a frat orgy he had the displeasure of stumbling in back in his college days. He sprinted to the door and opened it with moderation.

Inside, there were many things going on at once yet every guest seemed to be dressed as if it was a pre-Revolutionary French masque ball. The masks hiding serial killers, rapists and victims alike.

"Sir, are you a guest of the lady?" the receptionist asked. She was a peculiar tinge of olive against the pallid patrons, her mask a flamboyant mix of violets, pinks and blacks, her dress a perfect companion to it. She seemed strangely familiar to Robert, like a forgotten love…

Hold your horses, you're here for Lady Nicholaus' plans, not hook up like a common whore…and besides you're a bachelor, they're safely in Europe,

He let himself be guided by the receptionist, hand in hand, towards the lady. With each step, the crowd began to focus on them. Robert chose to ignore them, keeping up to his guide's speed. When they arrived, the receptionist bowed down gallantly and proclaimed "M'lady, your guest has arrived."

Lady Nicholaus was a sight to behold, even with her mask on. Her ample bosom was brought to his attention; her pale skin gleamed against the reduced light making her look like a life-sized porcelain sculpture. Her red eyes glowed with the flicker of the nearby candle with ferocity and possibly lust for her guest. He looks so handsome…he simply must be mine.

"Lady Nicholaus, I came as you requested, now I ask; why?" Langdon spoke. A large dark man, possibly African American drew near him and without any warning, slammed his knee into Langdon's abdomen.

"You will not speak to the lady unless she commands it, got it?" the man threatened as the other recovered. A hint of blood slid under Langdon's lip, arousing lady Nicholaus even more.

"Now, now Wolfren…we mustn't hurt our guest…" she said between gasps of air, it had been quite a while since a man had brought her lust. "Kimera, please lead Vittoria to her rightful place at the door while I tour Robert."

Did she say Vittoria!

Robert spun out of lady Nicholaus's grip and held the receptionist, causing her mask to fall off. To Robert's horror, staring back at him were the empty eyes of CERN physicist Vittoria Vetra, her makeup slightly smudged. The lady took Langdon with a force and placed her eyes into his. He felt his free will melt away as Kimera took Vittoria to her post.

"Lady Nicholaus, I…" Robert began but was stopped with a finger placed on his lips. The lady led him like a child into a door. She opened it slowly, revealing a lavish bedroom, red and violet drapes bringing out the romantic feel. She placed her lips onto Robert's, her delicate hands over his neck.

Robert was at first frightened, this woman had toyed with him like a rag toy and could do much worse in person. Suddenly, the feral desire from the morning came back with a raging flame in his body. The inhibited lust caused Robert to return the kiss roughly, making it more passionate. The lady kept the momentum going, removing his jacket and tossing to the floor. Completely oblivious to this, Langdon raced to lay his lips upon her delicate breasts, his grip competing hers. He savored the collar profusely, holding her down by the wrists onto the wall.

"My, my…you want this all?" Lady Nicholaus asked, her voice rough from the rough liplock she had broken. Robert did not even respond, he just ripped open the corset, an unusual savage look in his eyes that made the vampire lust him even more. She held him by his back as he dipped lower into her abdomen. Tonight, you'll be mine…she smiled as Robert undid the flowing skirt with stunning ease and speed. She could already see the process taking place.


Inside his head though, was a massive tug-of-war between the remaining humanity and the growing monster.

Stop it! Look and THINK what you're doing!

But I want her so much…I have to take her as long as I can!

Are you fucking kidding me! You've never met her and you want to screw her!

It's happened before…

Yes but neither had your soul riding on the line! Just take a look at a mirror!

For a moment, he stopped to look at the mirror and what he saw horrified him. Instead of his blue eyes, he saw crimson; his skin becoming deathly pale. Lady Nicholaus took notice and asked him while kissing his back "What is the matter, my love?" Robert immediately pushed her away and grabbed the gun from the pocket. He aimed it perfectly at where her heart was meant to be.

"What do you want from me?" he asked, ready to fire.

"Your body and soul…they are the last items in order for my plan to work." Lady Nicholaus explained in her usual tone as she put back her clothes briskly. "Too bad I almost had them at the same time"

"And what is your plan exactly?"

"To bring back the Blood Countess herself." The vampires responded, her lethal grin flashing evilly.

"The Blood Countess? I've never heard of anyone by that name." Langdon said, the gun unnerved. He may not have been the best shot but he had a rough idea of where to kill. The capability to kill had always brought shivers to him but under stress, it was either kill or be killed. And no one likes death.

"I am sure your students in that pitiful hellhole or that pathetic archangel should know her true name. The Blood Countess's power extends from augmenting our already fearsome abilities to enabling my kind to walk freely among the daylight…much like you did to Kimera and my two assassins" the lady continued, admiring her victim. To her dismay, he was reverting to normal; the red pupils became blue again and his skin to his normal color. "You definitely are something…"

"And why do you need Vittoria?" Robert asked, the safety latch clicked as it was disabled.

"The fact that you still hold her in your heart makes her an all-together perfect lure to make you do what I please." She explained, snapping her fingers.


Outside, Vittoria came to her senses and was horrified by what she encountered. All around her were body parts, arms and faces separated from their original bodies; multiple sexual acts were performed with many partners for one victim as he or she were torn apart alive. She withdrew to the door but was caught by a pasty white man, his evil grin flashed as he took her wrists and began to assault her. In an instantaneous reaction, she screamed in horror.

Robert heard the distinctive scream and fired a warning shot into lady Nicholaus's right shoulder. She laughed as the wound closed. "You cannot hurt me…"she stated, drawing closer to the man. "Just give up, Langdon and you will repay the favor."

The only thing left in Robert's mind was to get out and get Vittoria into a safe place. He felt his throat tighten; the monster was already using her apparent telekinesis to disarm. He looked at his watch hazily and with that, a plan was quickly drawn in his mind. As the lady drew closer, he took aim.

One chance, don't miss.


Vittoria tried to get away from the attacker but he held her with wild hunger. As she tried to run away, she stumbled upon an arm. In a primal response, she picked it up and slammed it hard into his face. He staggered a bit, giving Vittoria time to drop the appendage and escape. She ran to the bedroom door clumsily avoiding the killers, when she heard a gunshot.
A/N: OMG Chappter 12 ish a cliffhanger! XD Review are appreciated!