"Now, that's no way to treat your guest, Dracula."
Her voice, coming from such a small body, carried easily across the large room. It was the voice of a ruler, or a right hand man.
"I can treat you however I want after what you did," Dracula growled out, unconsciously taking a defensive position in front of the mirror, even though he had deactivated it.
The only things that were on his mind at this moment were: I must protect my son and I must kill this monster who dares to hurt him.
Nothing else mattered at that point in time. The castle could fall, his subjects be murdered, he, himself, taken into slavery to him, and nothing would make him stray from his stubborn mindset. The only thing that'd make him stop would be Adrian. His boy. If his boy stood in front of him and told him to toss aside his ideals and thoughts, he would do it in a heartbeat.
But his son wasn't here. He was miles away, bleeding on a dirty riverbank, with only that woman Speaker and that vulgar Belmont to keep him alive long enough for Dracula to kill this monster in front of him and get to his son.
With a plan firmly made in mind, Dracula began his interrogation.
"Did you hurt my son?"
"Only a little, but not the injuries your talking about," A small smirk appeared on Celia's face. Anyone could tell that she was deeply pleased with herself. "I did not inflict those."
"Then who did?" Another inhuman growl.
"As I said prior, I think you already know the answer to that."
Dracula had an idea, but he did not wish to believe it, or even think upon it.
"Just spit it out already."
"Fine, fine." The smirk widened until it looked almost insane. "Why he brought this pain upon himself, of course."
Yet another feral growl, but this one was more hesitant. More fearful.
"You're lying!"
"But I'm not," her voice sounded amused, and it just made Dracula even more furious.
"Don't tell me..." She gasped dramatically. "That you never knew about this?"
The vampire king was scared to ask. He would not lie to himself. He was scared. Scared of what his son kept from him. Scared from what he would learn. Scared because they might never return to normal.
"Knew about what...?"
A high pitched chuckle, almost something akin to a giggle, erupted from her mouth.
"He never told you! I can barely believe it!"
"Never told me what?! Tell me!"
"Fine. That he was suicidal." She gave a little pout. "You're no fun."
"...What...?"
Dracula couldn't believe what he was hearing. His son? Suicidal? No! He may not've been happy all of the time, but he certainly wasn't depressed!
"You heard me, Dracula." Celia picked at her nails. "Your son is a self-depreciating, submissive, depressing, husk of the happy child he once was."
Dracula needed to change the topic. He could feel himself tipping over the edge.
"So what?" Celia looked confused. "I'm guessing you didn't come here just to tell me this, did you?"
"Sharp old man."
A freshly picked nailed finger came to rest upon her lower lip as she looked up at him with an unreadable emotion in her eyes.
"That's right. I didn't come here to tell you about your darling child's suicide. No, I came to tell you that my master is watching you." Her ever present smirk faded. "Waiting for a time when you mess up. For when he can strike you at your weakest."
His ebbing anger returned full-force.
"Then tell him," he growled, even more hostile than before. "That he can try, but I will still rip his throat out with my fangs."
"I can see that if I stay any longer, this'll turn into a fight. So..."
She turned with a flourish, her torn, black traveler's cloak bellowing out behind her.
"Toodles!"
And just like that, on that ridiculous note, Celia, the demon, was gone.
"The hell does 'toodles' mean?"
Dracula shook his head.
No. That's not my goal right now. I need to get to my son...
Activating the mirror once again with practiced fingers, his thoughts were filled to the brim of his son.
Was he okay? Could he get to him in time? Could he convince those two pesky humans to give him over? Should he take him? Should he kill them?
Nothing stopped the questions.
Dracula never liked the feel of worry. It burned the pit of his stomach and creased his brows until he had a headache. Along with the thought of whatever the problem was stressing him out, nothing could go good when he was worried.
Once more, the mirror overlooked the sight of his bloody son, and his companions. The moon creating eerie shadows across Adrian's face and turning his hair into liquid silver blotched with rubies.
Beautiful...
But Dracula didn't want beautiful. He wanted safe.
And so he stepped through, his wandering mind finally focusing on it's main task.
Get Adrian back home safely...
Ugh...I'm so ashamed...it took THIS long to write THIS short of a chapter. I've been in a real slump for writing. I'm just not been motivated. Luckily, I finished this chapter, so at least you guy's get something. Stairway is really fighting me, though, so you can expect that one not to have an update for at least another week and a half. Again, sorry about the wait, and for those of you on AO3, I'll post the next chapters of both my stories there right after this. I have no excuse for that on, besides my internet hates me. I've just been lazy...But anyway hope you enjoyed [even though it's disgustingly short] and I'll see you guys next time!
Bye bye
Majesty