A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.
One chapter after this…When I post the final part I'll add an A/N to this fic.
The new fic is planned out so hopefully it will be interesting. I'm aiming for something that hopefully no one's considered before…
Chapter 29: SplitThe Count saw the concerned expressions on Erin's and Vlad's face, without thinking he sped across the room to rest in front of them.
Bertrand and Ingrid copied his actions not that it mattered anymore.
"What's wrong?" The question was filled with worry.
"Hartleigh is at the back not the front."
Being at the back meant facing wave after wave of slayers until he eventually entered the room. Vlad wasn't looking forward to this. Hartleigh obviously wanted to exhaust his opponents so he stood a better chance of slaying them, it was underhand but there wasn't anything they could do about it.
"We could draw them from the hall." Erin suggested, "Make sure they attack another hall."
"Then we won't be protecting the vampires in here." It was a good suggestion but she was forgetting about the bait that had lured them here in the first place.
Robin clicked his fingers; "They'll be using sensors or something right?" He asked.
"Yeah so?"
Robin gave a shrug, "You blew up that ECG machine when you were in hospital…can't you do the same with the sensors? Make them completely blind?"
Ingrid nodded, "It might work, cut them off blind."
"I can't tell which are Jonno's sensors and which are Hartleigh's, they'd all be destroyed."
"But it would split them up. The numbers would be reduced." Bertrand took over Robin's argument, it might work.
Vlad nodded before concentrating, small explosions and screams were heard all around the manor a few seconds later and they knew that tactic had worked.
"Dad, Ingrid, stay with Erin." Erin nodded accepting his word, "Bertrand with me. Robin…" Robin looked at him eagerly. "Make sure you don't get drained." Robin's face was a picture.
Ingrid looked across at Bertrand, never before had they not been with each other in a fight before.
Erin grabbed Vlad's wrist, holding him there. "Where are you going?"
"If Hartleigh won't come in I'll have to go out to get him." Erin relaxed her grip, Vlad couldn't wait for him. They needed this to be over quickly before mistakes were made.
"We're weaker split in half!" The Count told his son; they wouldn't be able to hold off for long.
"This way we deal with Hartleigh quicker. We can't wait." The Count nodded understanding his son's logic.
Erin cupped Vlad's cheek bringing his gaze back to her. "Be careful."
"I will." He promised her. He pulled her close and kissed her firmly, Erin responded fiercely before they pulled apart. It was only a short kiss but it told them everything they needed to know.
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Vlad saw the chunky cylinder before anyone else did, it slid across the floor making a scraping sound. The lights on the cylinder flashed once, twice… if it reached five they'd be paralysed and easy targets.
He doubted that Hartleigh would have more than two.
He threw out his hand, releasing a fireball directly at it and the device exploded in a shower of sparks. His family looked at him nodding as they realised exactly what he had destroyed. Hartleigh wouldn't have a clue what they'd done.
The fireball stopped all the proceedings in the hall. Every vampire turned and faced the Chosen One. Vlad turned towards them to see the understanding of what kind of people could possess one of those devices.
In a matter of moments a number of vampires had vanished from the room, leaving half if that remaining. Vlad didn't blame them though, the recent slayings had upset and devastated their kind. They were down to half of their original number now. They had got the slayers here and that's all Vlad had wanted.
Within seconds of this happening, all hell broke loose in the hall.
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A dozen slayers entered the hall, Andrew Hartleigh heading them. Erin looked around seeing the vampires beginning to pick their targets. She chanced a glance to the side of her to see Vlad flying vertically.
Ingrid had already been targeted by an over eager slayer but she seemed to be enjoying toying with him. That was the only thing Erin was worried about, the vampires underestimating their opponents.
Andrew set his sights on Erin, Erin had anticipated it though. She tipped her head staring at him, giving him a slightly smug smile, the kind that just revealed the points of her fangs.
"I'm going to enjoy this," He whispered looking at her with a smirk.
"Not as much as I will." Erin answered. She wanted to teach him a lesson, so badly. He deserved to be humiliated once more.
Andrew froze at her comment, before his nose twitched in anger and he dove towards her. Erin had expected it and easily darted out of the way until she was behind him. He looked blindly searching for her. Bertrand hadn't had time to give her proper training but she'd seen Vlad practice and she had her slayer training to learn from.
Andrew tried to attack her again, this time with his arms. Erin safely ducked underneath and landed her own blow to his jaw. It sent a jolt up to her aching collarbone, but she knew it was worth it. Andrew's jaw jolted to the side and she thought she heard a crack. She hadn't broken his jawbone but she had a feeling she'd broken a few of his teeth. She would never have been able to do that with the weaker strength she had as a breather.
Erin shoved him in the back and he stumbled forwards, trying to gain his balance. Those few seconds gave her a chance to shake her hand to get rid of the pain in it.
As he spun she caught the scent of his blood, she nearly gagged at the foul stench. How other vampires could find this alluring she didn't know. His blood was the worst thing she'd ever smelled, taking the top position on her list of worst smells.
"Your problem is that you can't handle it when a girl doesn't fall at your feet. I bet it doesn't happen very often." Erin told him, she wasn't even trying hard to dodge. His anger was making his movements sloppy.
"Only ones who love vampires." She was the first obviously, that's why his anger was directed solely at her.
Andrew aimed a punch for her abdomen, directly over her wound. Erin wasn't prepared for a blow that low down and gasped as it hit her there. Pain filled her lower torso. She was still sore from the wound, the stitches had been removed in a long session with Renfield, only a few of the stitches had hurt when they were removed but it was still bad enough.
Erin's eyes turned black at his underhand tactic and she launched herself at him, shoving him as hard as she could into the opposite wall. His face impacted against the panelling drawing blood. Erin shouldn't have taken pride in it but she did.
Andrew ducked down before Erin could hit him again, kicking her legs out from underneath her. Erin cursed herself for letting her emotions get the better of her in those brief few seconds.
He wrapped his hands around her throat his grip tightening. Then he realised something. Vampires didn't breathe. He looked at Erin's perfectly composed face, she smiled at him before kicking him in the groin.
He gasped at the air trying to fill his lungs, desperate for the pain to disappear. He rolled to her side and Erin shoved him off her completely.
He reached around his back for something. Erin knew what it was, although she had an inkling he'd forgotten she was a vampire when he tried to strangle her. She was thankful she never had been forced to marry him in the end.
He drew the stake holding it in front of her. Taunting her with it. He wasn't intimidating instead he just looked pathetic.
Erin kicked her left leg upward sharply and with substantial speed; her foot collided with the side of his head. Andrew looked at her with wide eyes before they closed rapidly and he slumped forwards until he was sprawled across her lower body.
Shuddering Erin kicked him off her. She knew she'd have to shower, every time he touched her she felt soiled.
A hand was extended to her and Erin pulled herself upwards. Erin gave Ingrid a grateful nod before the older vampire vanished back into the fight.
Steph came to her daughter's side. "Go to Vlad." Steph told her daughter firmly, "Help him. I'll watch him."
"Erin." Steph called to her, Erin turned and faced her mother. "I'm sorry for everything."
Erin nodded accepting the apology, it still didn't make everything okay but it was getting there.
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Vlad hadn't literally though that Hartleigh would be outside his manor, but he was there waiting for something. He'd lost Bertrand somewhere inside to deal with the sixth batch of slayers. Hartleigh had anticipated them knowing about his love for leading the charge obviously.
Robin's idea had worked it had forced the slayers to work in groups of three or four. A much more manageable size than what they had initially thought. Although Vlad was surprised that there weren't as many slayers as they had planned for.
He'd ducked and dodged slayers, his jacket had a few nicks in it from where he'd caught it on sharp stakes but nothing had broken the skin. He'd been fast and unfortunately slightly ruthless in his haste to find Hartleigh. A few times he'd slammed slayers against the walls until the slid down unconscious.
Vlad found Hartleigh waiting outside, sharpening his stake slowly and deliberately, blowing away the sawdust as it gathered on the tip. The coward really was waiting for his minions to do all the hard work. Vlad landed quietly behind him
"Waiting for them to finish the hardest part?" Vlad asked quietly.
Hartleigh spun around in surprise, staring at Vlad. Vlad lowered his arms from where he'd crossed them over his chest, if he left them there he'd be at a disadvantage.
George threw his stake but Vlad caught it and forced it to burst into flames in his hand, he didn't want a weapon like that lying around where someone could get slain.
Vlad decided to make the first move, he threw a punch at George. George had fast reflexes he managed to dodge most of the blow.
George shoved against Vlad, he didn't knock him over but he surprised him.
Vlad spun quickly, remembering what Bertrand had told him. As he turned he ducked down landing a powerful blow to George's abdomen, making him clutch it and stumble backwards while Vlad regained his composure.
Vlad took his chance and kicked his legs out knocking George down. As George fell, Vlad dived into his flak vest, pulling and tugging at it trying to find the contract. George gripped Vlad's leather and threw him off him. Vlad didn't realise the strength the man had.
Vlad rolled and gambolled across the grass. The dew leaving damp trails over his leather. Vlad hit his head on one of the decorative corner stones that was on the edge of the grass. His vision became hazy for a few seconds before he shook his head to clear it.
He went to get up but he was kicked squarely in the back in such a way he rolled two hundred and seventy degrees. He let out a cry as he felt his muscles tense at the action.
He looked up into the grinning face of George Hartleigh.
George aimed a kick at Vlad's ribs, Vlad managed to dodge most of the blow but a sickening crack could be heard and he gasped at the sensation of a rib breaking on his right side. The searing pain that ripped through his chest. He'd had tender ribs from training with Bertrand but nothing like this. Vlad's instincts screamed for him to curl up in a ball but he thankfully pushed them back.
George prepared to hit him again but a hand caught his wrist.
"Leave my daughter's fiancé alone!"
Thomas Noble was the last person Vlad expected to save him.
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Vlad could see that George was gaining the upper hand over Thomas. Thomas was tiring easier than George but George had more experience than him. George easily ducked and dodged Tom's increasingly sluggish attacks.
Vlad knew he could only do one thing, he threw out his hand and George shot upwards in the air letting out a startled cry, his stake dropping harmlessly to the ground. Vlad pulled his hand sharply back cutting the flow of power forcing George to plummet to the ground.
George cried out as his leg twisted awkwardly underneath him.
George looked at Vlad, he knew what they wanted even if he didn't know about the more pressing matter of why they wanted it. George withdrew the contract and something that Vlad couldn't tell what it was. He wished he had x-ray vision in that moment so he could see straight through his hand to see what he was holding.
With a smirk he held it out to Vlad. The only bright side was the Council could see what it was.
George then took his time to fold it carefully, he had nothing left to lose now.
He clicked the object, or flicked something on it.
Vlad immediately realised what it was.
A lighter.
And it was getting closer and closer to the contract.
TBC
A/N: Thanks for reading.
