Velkan could barely move as he saw her take hold of his hand, her slender fingers engulfing his palm before he closed his own fingers around hers. The grip Velkan had on her went slack in his moment of shock and the Count pulled her from him, only for her to wrap her free arm around his neck, burrowing against his shoulder as her body shook slowly.

"I thought that you had died," she whispered against him and the Count moved his other hand down her back, his hand slipping into the small of her back to press her harshly against him. "I thought that Van Helsing had killed you."

"No, my love," he whispered. "It is me. I am here for you."

"No!" Velkan suddenly yelled and Boris took his son by the elbow to stop his from making any rash movement. "Victoria! Come back to me!"

Victoria slowly turned her head over her shoulder, her hair dangling over her cheek as she made the motion. But the Count refused to release her from his grasp as she made the motion and he took hold of her by the cheek, forcing her to look back to him as she smiled widely, tears still falling down her cheek as he searched her gaze.

"You're back, my love," he whispered softly. "You're back with me."

"No," Velkan snapped. "Victoria, he is not who you think he is. You know that. Deep down you know who you are."

Victoria turned back to Velkan again, snatching the Count's wrist from her face so that she could complete the motion. Looking at Velkan, she furrowed her brows, her lips pursed as she tried hard to realise if she recognised him from somewhere. But he did not look familiar. He did not look like anyone she knew.

"I am sorry," Victoria said. "But I do not…who are you?"

Velkan felt himself stumble backwards then, the force of her words taking him by surprise as Boris shook his head, his glower at the Count increasing with each passing moment.

"You will not get away with this," Boris informed Dracula. "She does not know what sort of monster you are."

"You are my wife, Victoria!" Velkan snarled at her, moving forwards, but he Count was quicker. He had her pushed behind him as he snarled at the Valerious boy, his fangs bared as Victoria screamed at the sight, fear taking hold of her.

"What is happening?" Victoria demanded. "What are you?"

The Count watched on as Victoria looked at him in horror. Clearly he had never expected that to happen. She said nothing more as all eyes in the room turned towards her and she did her best to keep her composure as the Cardinal took hold of her by the elbow and steered her away from the Count, holding the cross he wore around his neck towards Dracula in the hope that it would stop the Count from advancing any further.

"He is a demon from Satan, my child," the Cardinal informed Victoria. "He made a deal with the devil for eternal life."

"I did it to try and save you!" Dracula snapped. "You were killed four hundred years ago, but you are back, Victoria. You are back and you are mine. No one will take you from me again."

"I don't understand," Victoria spoke. "How is that possible? It…it feels like only yesterday…the Order…they came after us…"

"And they killed you," the Count informed her. "They killed you but I swore never to stop trying to bring you back to life. I am the way I am because I knew that I would have you back in my life, Victoria. I have waited decades, but it has happened."

"How is that possible?" Victoria demanded from him. "What are you, Vlad?"

"A vampire," Dracula answered her honestly. "But I am no threat, my love. You know that. Deep down, you know that. I am the way I am because I need you. I could not let you go…death…it will not stop us."

"He is a monster, Victoria!" Velkan snarled, rushing towards his wife to take hold of her by the cheeks, forcing her gaze to meet his as Boris searched for anything he could use in the room to harm Dracula and get the monster away from him. "You have to remember. You have to remember that I am your husband. You married me, Victoria. You love me and I love you."

"I do not know you," Victoria snapped in horror as Velkan tried to cup her cheeks but she pushed him back from her. "I do not know what you are talking about."

"No," Velkan said, his face full of horror as the Cardinal spoke.

"You are the reincarnation of the woman this monster knew, Victoria. Your body is another's but your mind is the woman from four hundred years ago, yet it was not always so. You are married to this man, Victoria. You love him. Do not let your past take hold of you."

"It is too late," the Count hissed in response. "Her mind is her own and she is mine. This is who she is. This is who she has always been."

"Vlad," Victoria whispered in response, moving away from the Cardinal and brushing past Velkan without a second glance. "I want to leave."

Chuckling, Dracula once again held his hand out for her. She took hold of it and no one had time to stop the Count leaving with Victoria.

…..

It had been two hours since Dracula had left Victoria in her chamber to settle down. In that time she had changed from her gown into her nightgown and sat on the bed, her legs crossed as she tried to remember something that had been said. She tried to remember who Velkan Valerious was, but nothing came back to her. She had no recollection.

The door soon opened and Victoria left her thoughts behind to see Dracula move into the room, closing the door behind him while holding a cup of wine in his fingertips. He set the glass on the bedside table before perching on the bed, waiting for Victoria to say something to him. It took a few moments before she spoke, but he was not prepared to the words that left her mouth.

"You love me."

Turning his head to look at her, the Count arched a brow as she tucked her hair behind her ears and leaned forwards, continuing to speak as the Count listened intently.

"You made a deal with the devil to return as this…a creature…a creature who cannot see daylight…who cannot feel warmth…you came back as this for me," she decreed. "You must love me to come back and spend four hundred years waiting…while I cannot remember anything but our time together…as if it is still four hundred years ago."

Taking into account her words, the Count knew that her memories had completely gone. She knew nothing of his brides, yet he knew that telling her would hurt her. She looked at him as though he was the only one for her. He looked at her as though she was his one and only, yet there were three other women he was with.

"Yet I am married," Victoria responded. "I am married to a man I do not know."

"That is not you, my love," he told her, reaching out to trail his hand down her cheek towards her neck, the feeling of her pulse enough to excite him slightly as Victoria leaned her head back slightly and his fingers splayed on her neck as his palm rested on her chest.

"This is you," he whispered, noticing her heaving chest.

"It's odd," Victoria whispered. "I want to remember what would possess me to marry someone else when I love you entirely."

"No," Dracula whispered. "You cannot think like that, my love. You must think of the here and the now…we are together. You have no idea how long I have waited for this moment."

Smiling, Victoria leaned forwards, daring to press her lips against his. She shivered slightly at the feeling of his cold skin against hers before she felt his hands slide down her sides, gripping at her hips to pull her closer to him. He moved to bite down on her lip, chewing on it harshly until it drew blood.

She gasped at the sudden pain, pulling away to press her finger to her lip, looking at the red which stained her pale skin.

"Do not feel repulsed by me," Dracula urged her.

"No," Victoria said. "You could never repulse me. Not now…not ever…"

Taking hold of her finger, Dracula slowly moved it into his mouth, sucking the dried blood from it as Victoria inhaled a sharp breath, watching him make the motion. She kept his gaze as he let his teeth gaze over her flesh, causing the hairs on her arm to stand on edge as she moved her hands to his chest, trying to undo the buttons on his shirt, but failing miserably as her hands shook.

"Tell me what you want," he demanded from her, his hands grasping her wrist to stop her from making any movement further. "Tell me, Victoria."

"You," she whispered. "I have always wanted you."

Smirking, Dracula moved further until he had her on the bed underneath him. He bent over her, kissing her neck slowly. Victoria said nothing in response to him, choosing to keep silent and focus on he warmth in the pit of her stomach instead.

She was so focused that she barely heard the sound of the door creak open.

"Master…this is her?"

Shrieking out of shock, Victoria pushed Dracula away from her before covering herself with the sheet. The Count stood up and she did her best not to narrow her eyes in wonder at the three women who stood in the doorway. Furrowing her brows, she said nothing for a few seconds, unable to think of anything to say at the sight of the women before her. Who were they?

"Will you not introduce us, master?" a blonde spoke.

"Who are they, Vlad?" Victoria wondered and Dracula glowered to his brides as Verona stepped forwards.

"We're his brides, my dear."

…

A/N: Let me know what you think!