Dry leaves crunched beneath their feet as the pair left the harvest, music and festivities behind, drunk on the night and each other - more the latter on her part, if Greta was being honest. Her head felt full of his scent as she leaned against him, the strangest being she'd ever thought to meet in this life. But his strangeness, far from being repellent, drew her in like a flame does a hapless moth. From the very moment she'd seen Alucard, disheveled and smeared with night creature guts as he was, Greta had wanted, needed, to know more of him. At the time, there was no trace of human emotion behind those unusual golden eyes, and she'd been too wary and battle-worn to renounce her initial suspicion of him. Oh, how things have changed. The woman laughed then, thinking of the tirade she subjected him to, after that first fight.

"The lady is amused. Care to share?" his soft voice reached her.

Greta scoffed at being called such, but there was something immensely pleasing about the way his arm wrapped around her, how his fingers splayed on the side of her waist and drifted to her hip as they walked. She imagined those fingers tracing her skin for hours; forever. She looked up at Alucard, absorbing the sight of that alluring smile. His eyes gleamed catlike in the dark, and his irises had lost their feral glaze. She would have to amend that soon. "I was thinking of the night we met," she said, "First impressions and all." She paused, then asked, "What was yours?"

Alucard watched her silently for a moment, then tipped his head up to look at the stars. "It was all new; another struggle, another calling - you were new. But…" he looked back at her with a devious grin. "Do you want the full truth or the half-truth?"

They ceased walking, having reached the steps of the castle, and Alucard turned the woman so she faced him.

"Both, of course." Her palm came to his chest, and Greta gazed up at him from under her lashes. "Let's hear the half-truth."

The sharp tip of one fang caught on his lower lip as he pondered, and her knees weakened at the sight. Her cheeks flushed as Greta thought of other expressions that would suit him rather well. Yes, this was her quest.

"Your straightforwardness was... refreshing," Alucard told her.

"And the full truth?" Greta asked. She was brought closer into him, her soft curves yielding to the entreaty of his body.

His smile softened as Alucard tipped her chin up. "Your manner appealed to me, as did you. And when you'd asked me to stay - pardon, when you ranted at me to stay and help," he stopped at the playful slap on his shoulder, "I thanked chance, or whatever universal law led me there."

"You needed something to bring you back." Her forefinger traced the sharp line of his jaw.

"Apparently, it was someone." Alucard lowered his head, a strand of his pale hair ghosting her cheek. He watched her keenly, the smile gone. "I want this to work."

What could she say? His wish was hers. They met often as daily tasks demanded it; they worked together; they understood each other through a natural affinity that brought them closer with each passing day, but this was different. Through the years, she had led people, and became accustomed to others depending on her. It was a way of life that upheld her purpose but now, with him, Greta found it easy to relinquish that driven side of her; to give in. She craved to, and she would. She squirmed a little in his hold, saw his lips parting as she brushed against him. The impulse to taste him burst to the surface like the lashing of storm winds, and the woman rose on tiptoe. "And will you show me how badly you want this to work?" she asked.

The glint in his eyes turned sly and demanding; he understood. She'd had men, she'd had women. She'd had many relationships along the years. Greta did not lack experience on that front, but in truth, she'd never had someone like him.

His hand drifted languidly to her rear, fingers firmly digging into her flesh, pressing her to him. Thrill and need fogged her rational mind when his palms cupped her face; her pulse ran a blind race when Alucard leaned closer still, and though she was no shy, inexperienced maiden, her eyes widened and her heart stumbled over crashing beats as wet softness grazed her lips. She whimpered needily, sighing against his mouth; everything in her cried more, desire tightening like a knot in her core with the languorous way he sucked her plump lower lip into his mouth.

His taste was maddening. A meld of sweet wine with hints of cinnamon and something distinctly him that pushed her over the steepest precipice, and all Greta wanted was to know what lay beyond it. A mewl struggled past her lips as the tip of his tongue teased her, hedging her to open for him. And curse it all - what could she do but comply? Her lips parted, and he took the chance, suckling on her tongue while his hands fell from her face to her neck, lingering on the pulse point before drifting lower, seeking her curves again. His chest was a panting mess as Alucard crushed her closer, and her own arms wound around his neck like a vice. The world melted away with her shudder, lost to the sleek, wet silk of this seductive intrusion.

Suddenly, he broke away; slowly, Greta opened her eyes.

"Is… are you all right?" she asked, licking her lips just to taste more; when his gaze met hers, he absolutely did not look all right.

His expression was close to wolflike, predatory, holding a strange, otherworldly glimmer. There were times - such as now - when Alucard held true to his legacy, when the woman remembered he was not entirely human and never would be.

The truth of it did nothing to frighten her.

It aroused her.

Wordlessly, Alucard briefly glanced at the doors to the castle, distracted, then looked to its towers.

"It's a long way up," Greta said, unsure what was happening; his grip was still strong on her, and she couldn't move away if she tried.

"Not necessarily," he whispered.

The red flare in his eyes was back, dazing and exciting her. His own voice had been choked, the words low and hoarse.

Greta gathered some of her scattered wits. "I don't understand—"

Alucard grinned, looking up again. "There is a place on this side..." he seemed to think. "In that wing of the castle, there."

The woman followed his gaze, up, up, up, to one of the lofty towers of the immense structure; her eyes widened. "You jest." She tensed against him, but she never backed away from a challenge. It was not her way, not in her blood. Greta wanted what he had to offer, and was loath to waste another moment.

"Afraid, Greta of Danesti?" Alucard teased, his hands roaming up and down her back; his tone did little to hide his amusement.

He was changed, the night somehow enhancing his otherness. Greta stared. She rather enjoyed this game, and seeing him this way weakened her knees in ways she'd not felt in years. Her duties had always taken precedence and though her days were filled with meaning, work left little time for anything resembling genuine connection. Now, looking upon Alucard, something fell into place. His way was noble in the truest sense, his deeds spoke more than words, and he'd shown that he was more than capable of opening to someone despite the trauma of his past.

Alucard grasped her chin between two long fingers. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course," Greta murmured without thought. The words barely left her mouth when his hold turned to iron, and Alucard hid his face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in.

"Then hold on tight."

Greta released a stifled cry, clutching at him as the world fell away, and she would have screamed at the top of her lungs but instead buried her face against him, shivering as he chuckled. "You're laughing at me," she choked, breathless, holding on to him for dear life as they soared upwards together, "and you will pay for this!"

"I certainly hope so," Alucard replied in that soft rumble of his, and before she knew it, her feet were on solid ground, standing on cold, hard stone.

Turning her head, Greta saw they were high on a balcony and a brilliant, peaceful nightscape opened before them. Stronger winds lashed at her face as she shrugged out of Alucard's loosening hold, gazing ahead at the scenery.

There was no moon, nothing but a smattering of bright stars and their distant light like holes in the canvas of the skies. Endless forests spread over rolling hills, over rivers and settlements, leading to mountains that hailed tall and dark in the far distance. The lands of her childhood, and everything beyond them. It was easy to lose oneself in such muted, eternal beauty. "I don't think I've ever seen the world from such heights," Greta said, her voice full of wonder. She dwelled on her previous words; yes, despite his youth and secluded existence thus far, there were many things he could show her, teach her. One never stopped learning, after all.

"I've yet to bring you here," Alucard said. His arms circled around her from behind; his chest pressed into her back.

Her head fell against him, eyes closing as his lips alighted on her neck. His warm breath had a tingle spreading down her body and she pressed her thighs together, aching for more. Greta turned her head when he drew away, seeking his mouth; searing, soft, and insistent, and the floodgates opened as the woman twisted around in his arms. Her fingers dug into his shirt at the front, and she pulled him close. "I said…" her smile was fey, "I said you'd pay."

Alucard grinned, taking her hand and placing an open-mouthed kiss into her palm. "Come."