9-Înţelegerea
She couldn't sleep at all. It had already been two weeks after close encounter with death and Kya couldn't sleep at all. Every time she lay her head down to rest she would dream about the red haired woman and the various ways that she could have killed her. The one that played most in her head was her running away from the vampire, but every time she reached the gates of the castle the woman would grab her then drain her of all the blood in her body. These night terrors have gotten so bad that she had begun to ask Anna and Velkan to drug her so she may be able to sleep during the night. But even then, that didn't help her. It would only allow her a few short hours of sleep before she was awake and in pain. Tonight was no different. Kya lay in her bed on her side staring out the window into the night sky and watches the full moon in the sky. As a child her mother had told her that there was a man on the moon that would watch over all the happenings going on during the night. Though she should be thinking of her family and regaining her strength, all she could think about was the Count and how concerned he was for her. She wondered what he would be doing this evening, but she mainly thought of questions that she would ask him if she saw him again.
Kya jumped slightly when a soft knock came to her door. "Come in." She said softly.
She carefully turned to see who it was that came in and upon seeing her cousin walking in she carefully sat up and made room for her to sit beside her. Kya also noticed that Anna had two steaming cups of tea in her hands. She knew that one of them was laced with different herbs to help her sleep but she knew that it wouldn't last very long. As Anna mad here way closer to her cousin she could see just how tired and scared the young woman was from her attack. Though Anna had adapted her life style to suit her needs, minimal sleep and eating when she can she knew that her cousin wasn't the same as her. She had been raised differently and she wasn't expecting her to adapt to her lifestyle. Even though Anna was used to not sleeping or eating for long periods of time, Kya was not and Anna. Kya was raised completely different from Anna and it wasn't more apparent to the older woman than it was now as she sat beside the young woman and gave her the cup of tea that she had asked for. It was laced with a very powerful herb that would knock out even a Werewolf when ingested.
Anna smiled kindly to her cousin as she handed her the cup. "Be careful, its very hot." She warned.
Kya carefully took the cup and held it in her hands enjoying the feeling of the hot china between her small hands. She didn't notice until now that she was freezing cold, yet as she held the cup she slowly felt her hands absorb the heat. She nodded slightly indicating that she understood what she was being told but did not speak. She found that she could not find words to explain how she felt or to respond to anyone, it was almost as though the vampire had taken her voice with her when she was attacked.
"The people in the village have been asking about you. They heard about your accident and they send well wishes to you."
Kya simply nodded again before taking a small sip of her tea then choked and gagged on the foul taste. Apparently that managed to break her silence. "What the bloody hell is in that?"
Anna couldn't help but to laugh. "I may have put a bit too much Valerian in it this time." She said before pouring some of the sweetened tea from her own cup into her cousins. "That should help some."
Kya smiled slightly before taking another sip and made another face, thought it was better with the added sweetness it was still terrible. "I swear i will show you how to make a proper cup of tea, or at least the British way."
Anna smirked before taking a drink from her cup. This was the first time that the two had been able to just sit and talk, well sit and enjoy each others company really as Anna did most of the talking while Kya listened. They just sat there watching the sky through the window as Anna spoke about what her and Velkan were doing on their long trips.
"We've been trying to set a trap for the Werewolf but we cant find the right spot." Anna said in a defeated tone. This caught Kyas attention. Though she didn't know her cousin well, from the small conversations that they have held over the past month and a half, Anna was never one to simply back down.
"Perhaps having bait there will lure him in... live bait." Kya supplied trying to be of some help for the woman beside her.
Anna thought through that for a moment before smiling and looked at Kya. "How didn't i think of that before! Thank you!" She leaned forwards and hugged her cousin happily before hurrying from the room to find her brother and talk.
Kya smiled slightly to herself before finishing her cup of tea and lay back down for the night. Hopefully this time she would be able to sleep through the night without any problems. As she lay down to watch the night sky as she slowly fell into the welcoming arms of sleep she could have sworn that she saw a large bat like creature fly in front of the moon. IT couldn't be real, though she assumed anything was possible now that she knew that vampires were real.
"She'll die!"
Kya could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she ran through the woods trying to get to the castle. Just as she could see the branch in the road that led to the castle Kya screamed out in pain as something sharp sliced through her right arm forcing her to fall down into the snow and hold her arm in pain. She looked up and saw a large grey winged creature flying off into the night followed by another similar creature. The first one took a turn and came right back towards Kya and landed in front of the injured woman transforming back into the read haired immortal. This time her eyes are bright pink and she her long fangs showing from her mouth.
Kya woke with a start, sitting straight up in her bed. Sweat rolled down her back and neck as she looked around the room to see that she was alone in her room at Castle Valerious. Another nightmare...great. She looked at the window and saw that it was early in the morning so she hadn't missed very much of the day. That was good but it also means that Kya was able to get just a little bit of sleep and as she sat on the edge of her bed she felt much better than she had over the past few weeks. As she sat there Kya ran over everything again in her mind and she gradually built up the courage to get changed and ready for the day. She was tired of suffering, she needed to get back out there, but she mainly wanted answers and tonight she would get it.
Kya pushed herself off her bed and went to the small trunk in the room that held her clothes, and picked out a very simple outfit. Black trousers, boots, a corset and a cream colored blouse that had light blue flowers embroidered into the sleeves. Kya took her clothes and went to the en-suite bathroom and began to bathe. Once finished she brushed her hair but was very careful with her stitches and she managed to style her black curly hair to cover them. Though she knew her looks didn't matter she was still determined to keep as much of it as possible. It took the young woman at most an hour to prepare for the day. Once finished she left her room and went to find where Anna and Velkan were and it was very easy for her to find them, all she had to do was follow the sounds of grunting and the clang of metal on metal. Apparently they were sparring and were very into it.
As Kya came into the large armory she could see only small flashes of her cousins as they worked their way through the large room, fighting with each other using swords. She stood in the doorway watching the scene amazed by how elegantly they moved and how focused they were on their fight. However, the fight quickly changed when Anna picked up a long silver object and threw it at Velkan from behind one of the shelving units. It missed him and whent straight for Kya, she quickly moved to the side and it planted its self into the wall where her head once was. She looked at her cousins and is shocked that she was almost hurt, though it was an accident she still didn't enjoy that fact. Anna was the first to stop and she gasped in shock.
"Kya are you alright? Im so sorry." The older woman came running over to Kya to see if she was aright or if she hand injured her.
"I'm fine."
Anna stopped when she realized that Kya was out of her room. "Your up, and... dressed."
"Yes i am, its about time i got off my arse and started living again." Kya sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at her cousin. "Im not a fragile doll. Im a human and i need to live like one."
Kya saw that she had clearly shocked her cousins but she didn't care, she was on a mission and she wanted to be prepared. "I'm going out, and i'm not sure when ill be back but i wanted to be prepared should i be attacked again."
That seemed to shock Anna and Velkan more so. It took them a moment to get their bearings before Anna cleared her throat and took three things form the weapons shelves around them. A crucifix necklace that she placed around the young woman's neck, a small bottle of holy water though this one was a tad larger than the one she had used during her attack, and a silver stake. It was small enough to fit inside her boot however when Anna pressed the release allowing the small item to show its full length it was able to kill anything that might try to attack her. Hopefully this time she would be a bit better prepared to face any creatures lurking in the night.
Kya very carefully tucked the cross between her breasts under her shirt, since she was going to try to find the Count this evening she didn't want to put him off her if anything shed tie it to the reigns of her horse once leaving the castle. She did tuck the stake into her boot but she didn't plan on using that at all, in fact she had hopped that she didn't have to use any of these objects tonight. This evening wasn't about trying to kill the Count but to get answers. Kya thanked her cousins before leaving the room and going down to the stables where she carefully placed the holy water down into her cloak that hung beside the saddles, she then whent over to her horse and gently stroked his head.
"Hey there, i hope your ready to get out a stretch." She said kindly to her horse before gently brushing him down and saddling him up himself.
Once finished she put her cloak on and opened the doors to the stable to allow her to pull her horse outside and begin her ride. After climbing up onto the saddle she winced in pain as she had to settle back into the habit of riding. Her body had been resting for a bit too long and she had lost some muscle memory from riding, luckily she still remembered how to regain it as well as develop it further. Taking a deep breath Kya looked around the small area in front of the stables before setting off to clear her mind and to explore. Perhaps the Count would be easier to find than she had expected. During her ride she decided to take a trip through the village where she was constantly stopped by passers by to ask how she had been and why she had changed her hair style. Kya forced herself to be polite to everyone but she understood that they were genuinely concerned. Anna had told her that no one had survived a vampire attack and lived to tell the tale. And yet... here Kya was. That was one portion to this entire ordeal that didn't make any sense to her. Why if the vampires had killed hundreds before and never left any survivors had she been the only one to escape? Could it be that she wasn't from this place and they didn't feel the need to? Or was it that creature that had cornered the two vampires' as Kya ran?
All these questions ran through her head the entire time that she rode. She barely kept track of the time but she did take careful consideration to let her horse stop to rest. At the moment the sun has just barely set and Kya had stopped to let her horse rest and drink from the stream she had found in the forest. She had hoped that there was a small clearing to allow him to eat some of the grasses and wild flowers that were there but she hadn't come across any as she had diverted from the main path through the forest. Though she was lost she had managed to keep an eye on the village through the trees that way she could make her way towards it as best she can in the dark. With the fires going inside the small homes in the village it was easy to see that there was something happening tonight with the families, be it a cultural holiday or just a regional difference Kya didn't know. She was still to much in shock to care. She looked down to the head of her horse as he drank from the stream and she gently stroked his mane as she sighed.
"At least your not trying to kill me this time are you Hugh?" She said to him quietly and reached into the saddle bag that was attached to the saddle on her horse, and took out a small canteen filled with water.
As she was taking the top off of it she noticed a dark figure int he distance, probably about half a mile away form where she stood now. She felt her heart begin to race slightly. Kya didn't want to be scared but she couldn't help it, now with the memory of her attack still fresh in her mind she couldn't help but to think that it was those women coming back to finish her off. And this time shed have no way of escaping easily, unless she wanted to commit suicide by jumping off the side of the cliff that would lead her to the village, and probably directly to the Undertaker. Kya carefully put her canteen away before mounting her horse and gently leading him away from the stream and back towards the village. If she was going to find the Count tonight then she might want to start by going towards Castle Frankenstein, perhaps she could learn a thing or two there about where he might live or be during this time of night.
Just as Kya had found her way back to the main trail she felt a cold chill run down her spine, someone was watching her. She took a deep breathe before carefully scanning her surroundings but she could not see anyone around her that could make her feel this way. She paused as she realized that she could have attracted the attention of the exact person she was looking for. She took another deep breathe before looking around her once more and speaking loudly and clearly.
"Come out from where you hide. I have not come here looking to harm, only for answers." She said as she gently pulled her horse to a stop.
Something snapped behind her making the woman turn around to see who or what it was. When she saw nothing there she calmed slightly, that was until her horse bucked up and began to kick its hooves in the air. This time Kya was able to hold on until Hugh settled down, she carefully ran her hand over his neck to try to calm him then she saw exactly what had frightened him. Standing before her horse was the Count dressed all in black as he normally was and his bright blue eyes staring into her own almost as though he was looking into her very soul. Kya felt her heart beat sped up slightly before she forced herself to calm down, he wasn't the one that harmed her so she had no reason to fear him. She very carefully sat up in the saddle and kept eye contact with the man before h er. He didn't have his usual smirk but rather a more forlorn and neutral expression.
"Sir Vlad... I was hoping to see you this evening." Kya said as calmly as she possibly could manage.
"As I you my dear." He said calmly though she felt as though he was holding back his anger.
Kya blushed slightly at the awkward silence that followed and she carefully dismounted her horse and pat his neck as she tried to order her thoughts together. She had everything planned out and now as she stood before the very person, or rather creature she had wanted to see... she couldn't remember what she had wanted to say. Part of her was angry that he hadn't told her that vampires and werewolves were real after she had made it extremely clear to him that she didn't believe that they were. Yet the other part was worried and scared, over the few short weeks that they had been talking and getting to know one another she had grown attached to the Count, it was almost as though she was under a spell.
"I had thought you returned to England after your encounter with my Brides..."
Kya paused when she heard the Count speak. So those women were affiliated with him after all. That took care of one portion of the story but that also opened up so many more questions that haven't been answered.
"Did you call them into action against me?" She asked with a bit too much venom in her voice. She felt hurt and betrayed, he made it sound as though he had intended for her to die.
"Not by any means." She looked over to the man beside her and she didn't react to the fact that he now stood right beside her rather than in front of her horse. "I had no intentions of causing you any harm."
"Then why was i attacked? Have i slighted you in any way, or scorn you? None of this makes the slightest sense to me." Kya turned and let the man before her know exactly how she felt. "I thought that i was going to die that night by the hands of two creatures i had thought a myth. A silly story that mothers tell their children in this town to frighten them and keep them in line. Never in my life would i have through that i would be attacked by them and see the face of my killer be one that thought me a whore. IS that what i am to you? A simple slut that spreads her legs to anyone who comes by?"
Though they had never even kissed Kya couldn't help but to feel as though she was being used for another purpose.
"I haven't been able to sleep for two weeks, do you know how tired i am of not being able to close my eyes without seeing that woman trying to kill me." She looked down at the ground as the memories flooded through her mind. "Its like i'm lost at sea was a demon of fire, one who assumes and doesn't have any answers and she intends to torture me for the correct information." She leaned her head against the saddle of her horse and she let a single tear fall from her eye. She felt much better after having said that aloud, however she knew that she may have angered the Count but when she felt a light touch on her shoulder.
She pulled away from her horse and looked at the Count expecting him to curse her for saying such nonsense. For saying things that may have angered him, she did not know him well enough to know what he would say or do, but she did know that he was always one to surprise her. And he did not fail this time. Before she could open her mouth to apologize her quickly pulled her towards him and placed a soft kiss upon her forehead and hugged her tightly. Kya stood there in complete shock as she very slowly accepted the mans embrace and returned it with one of her own. This was completely different from what she had known from this man, he was always cold and calculated. Very well thought out and never did things that seemed in appropriate for a Lord or someone of Noble Blood to do. Yet here she was, a common servant girl turned bar maid sharing an embrace with a man who was an immortal creature and one who will most likely outlive her many times over. For some reason that she could not fathom, Kya felt herself begin to calm down as she savored the Counts touch.
"You were never meant to be harmed in any way, my precious. I did not think that they would attack you when i sent them to feed, they didn't know that I was becoming acquainted with you through literature rather than conjugal visits. Aleera can become very... forgive the pun... Bloodthirsty. She is the most violent and sadistic of my brides. I have punished her for her actions against you, what she did was never meant to have been done. If you do not wish to see me any more i will understand, you have been harmed far too much for someone i care a great deal for, i do not wish upon you. And i do, i find myself growing attached to you more so than i could have anticipated." Dracula admitted to the small woman in his arms.
Kya stood there for another moment, organizing her thoughts as she processed this information. The creature that held her so carefully and lovingly wasn't a monster, he wasn't a savage creature that killed everyone within his reach. He was completely different from anything Kya had been told or expected. He was a man. A man who was cursed to roam the earth for all eternity and feed from the blood of others to survive. Yes, it was a gruesome way to live but what choice did he have? She did not know the full story of why he was an immortal creature, but then again she didn't need to. She could see all she needed now, where he could simply take her life easily right here, right now... he didn't. He told her just how he felt and even though it barely answered her questions, she was content with what she was given.
DAMN! I am so sorry for taking such a long time to finish this chapter for you guys. I had to go through several versions of it before i came up with this version. I will try my best ot get the next chapter out to you by either next week or next weekend. Im not sure, College is kicking my ass atm. Hope you guys liked this chap, let me know what you think. R&R please!