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"You can change your mind, but it needs to be now, you can't go getting cold feet when we are in there."
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes Agatha Van Helsing kept her eyes on the house they were staking out. Agatha would have been lying if she said wasn't nervous, but it would have been a lot easier to manage without Dracula breathing down her neck, asking her every five seconds if she wanted to back out of this. She wasn't a woman that went back on her decisions once she made them.
"Beloved…"
"Hush Vlad lets get this over with, there is only so much of your fussing I can handle."
Pouting a little at the rebuke, Dracula did his best to push down his concerns for her. He couldn't deny that the idea of knowingly taking Agatha into a dangerous situation was warring with his need to keep her safe. He had waited five hundred years to have someone like Agatha in his life, his dearest love and potentially the mother of his child, and now he was willingly following her, no leading her into danger. It went against everything he believed and yet he was still doing it because Agatha was right; she was better suited to deal with the man who had ordered her death, and all he could do was watch her back and do his best to keep her safe.
Watching as the changing guards disappeared Vlad nodded for Agatha to move ahead of him, the pair of them staying in the shadows as they climbed the surrounding wall and then moved to climb up the side of manse. Dracula was the one to slide his nails between the ancient windows, lifting the lock and easing the window open, he was also the one to drop inside silently, his gaze scanning the room for any sign of a threat before offering his hand to Agatha.
Allowing him that one act of chivalry, Agatha accepted his hand and dropped down beside him, closing the window behind her. Sniffing the air Agatha could make out the scents of several vampires who had been in this room only a few hours ago, something that was difficult over the rather overpowering scent of lavender oil they had doused their stolen clothing in, to mask their own scent. Beside her Dracula was doing the same, his tracking skills far in advance of her own, and he nodded towards the door on the left.
Trusting that Dracula had their prime target in mind, Agatha fell in step behind him, stepping exactly where he stepped; despite her own training he was the expert at this and like with the preparation Agatha was happy to leave finding Pazzi in his hands. Once they found him, then she could take over. In other circumstances Agatha might have marvelled at their beautiful surroundings, the ancient manse was just one owned by another vampire clan. The Conti family had long been residents of Rome, and owned several ancient buildings, that made up a secure complex on one of Rome's seven hills. They had invited the Pazzi clan to stay in one of their houses, rather than in a hotel; that their second son had been Isabella's other, and was now her only suitor, no small influence.
Attacking Pazzi here was perfect. Not only was he outside of his own territory, but he was under the protection of one of the larger clans. His "death" under their roof would sow seeds of discord between the major vampire families. Each casting suspicion on the others, and none more so than on the Conti family; who with a marriage between their son and Pazzi's only natural child, and a daughter at that, would be in a fortuitous position to simply absorb the much smaller, and less influential Pazzi clan into their own, a veritable coup d'etat.
Or at least that was how they were hoping it would play out. There was always the risk that blame would fall on Clan Dracula, simply because of the recent discord between them, but suspicion was not proof, and as long as they kept their cool...
Sliding into the darkened room Dracula paused just inside, his eyes fixed on the one point of light, the desk lamp was still on, and bent over the desk, his hand moving slowly but steadily was one Elder Pazzi…still awake…a problem he had not foreseen. As if sensing he was no longer alone, Pazzi's head lifted and he sniffed the room…the scent of lavender confusing him, if the furrowed brow from his side profile was any indication.
Moving with speed, now that his safety and that of his beloved on the line, Dracula managed to smother off Pazzi's yell before it even left his mouth. What happened next was a momentary struggle for dominance, Pazzi trying to break free, as he realised what was happening and just who had attacked him, and Dracula doing everything he could to prevent a struggle from taking place. Which was easier said than done, as despite Dracula's extra height and weight advantage, not to mention his martial skills, Pazzi was still a vampire and had wiry strength to contend with.
It was only when Agatha stepped forward and place her hand on his forehead, her eyes closed in concentration, that the struggling vampire suddenly went limp in his grasp. At first Dracula couldn't quite believe what he was seeing, it was like all Pazzi's strings had been cut. Not believing that it wasn't an act at first, Dracula kept up his tight hold, it wasn't until Agatha opened her eyes, smiled and nodded pointedly to the open door behind them that Dracula remembered just why he was there, to cover their backs. Reluctantly releasing him Dracula waited for a moment, as though expecting Pazzi to suddenly jump up. Yet he didn't, and as much as Dracula wanted to watch and marvel in awe at Agatha's skill, he had a job to do, and he couldn't fail in that single vital task.
Knowing that Vlad had her covered, Agatha returned to her role. It had been easier than she expected to isolate Pazzi in his own mind. For such an ancient vampire he seemed to have little to recommend himself other than age. Just another myth the Elders had propagated, that their extended age had given them abilities not achievable by their younger brethren. If she had time, Agatha would have relished sifting through Pazzi's mind for more of those little secrets, who knew what interesting morsels she would turn up. Still she was on a deadline, get in, get the names, deal with Pazzi, and get the hell out before they got caught.
"You bitch, let me go this instant!"
Inside his skull Pazzi was seething. Agatha could see him skulking there, not really cognisant of the danger he was in, but knowing enough to know this wasn't normal.
"You freak I look forward to seeing you, and that bastard sire of yours, put down like the dogs you are. When I tell the council…"
"You know for a man who should be begging for his life right about now, you are being very rude...and very dumb." Agatha was almost amused by the posturing, and the complete denial on display in front of her.
"I will never beg for my life from a woman!" Pazzi scoffed. "This parlour trick of yours might work on others but I am an Elder, girl, and your ruse will not work on me."
"Why don't you ask Paolo about my parlour tricks?" Agatha replied, unable to resist baiting and shrinking Pazzi within his own mind, as Agatha herself grew larger, her teeth growing as she loomed over him. "Oh no wait you can't, because he's not talking to anyone, now is he?"
"Paolo was a mere child compared to me…"
"And still he had more sense. He knew when he was outmatched and when to start talking, and he told me it was you, who hired him to kill me…no not just to kill me but to dismember me and leave my head on the pillow for my beloved to find. You should be very grateful I did not tell Vlad that little detail, or he would have insisted on ripping you limb from limb himself, before I was allowed to get my hands on you."
"You wouldn't have managed; my guards would have…"
"Like they are coming to rescue you now?" Agatha knew it was childish to play with her food, but she had almost died thanks to this man and his petty vengeance. "I could have kept you from making a single sound, and yet let you feel every single second of agony…in fact I still could, if you test my patience much further."
"A bluff and not a very convincing one." Pazzi scoffed, and yet there was no hiding from someone who was inside your head, and Agatha could feel his confidence start to ebb, it felt like minutes had passed and she still held him captive in his own body.
"This could go much easier for you, if you just told me who else was involved in your little plot; we know there were others…I mean we know your are a fool, but you wouldn't have had the balls to pull such a blatant, move without the backing of someone more powerful than yourself."
"Go fuck yourself."
Knowing she didn't have time for this, Agatha resigned herself to having to resort to less pleasant measures. She had to remind herself that Pazzi deserved this, that he was a monster who wanted her dead and Dracula suffering, a vampire who would sell his only child to the highest bidder, and that the world would be a better place without him.
Paolo was the key. Agatha didn't have time to force the names out of Pazzi, knowing him he would lie and prevaricate, so instead she was going to try something new. Concentrating on the memory of the hired killer, Agatha reached out for the first strand of memories that called out to her, seizing them in her hands, Agatha all but ripped then open with her claws, ignoring Pazzi's mental scream.
Agatha emerged onto a simple Rome side street, a café filled with men of a certain age drinking espresso and arguing. Only two patrons stood out, Paolo and Pazzi, their heads bent close together and Agatha didn't need to lean in to hear their conversation, it flowed over her and through her, telling her nothing she didn't already know. Concentrating on this conversation, Agatha reached out for the connecting thread, another memory that was linked to this one, pulling it to her with a savage yank.
Now she was in a far swankier environment, the lighting darker, the clientele distinctly undead, and Agatha curled her lip in disgust at the scantily clad young mortals who were providing service. Pazzi was sat a table with a very familiar vampire, one that had her lip curling back. Of course, it was him, first he went after Vlad, then when that didn't work, he set Pazzi off after her like a rabid dog. It was going to take everything Agatha possessed to stop Vlad from ripping that bastard's head off when he found out.
Stepping out of the memory Agatha turned her attention back to Pazzi. He was sprawled out on the proverbial floor, panting from the pain Agatha had put him through when she ransacked his mind.
"Go on then, get it over with already, kill me."
Crouching down Agatha almost felt sorry for the elder vampire for a moment, the reality of his situation had finally sunk in…well most of it had, Pazzi couldn't possibly know what fate really awaited him.
"Oh, I'm not going to kill you." Agatha smiled almost sweetly. "You will wish that I killed you Elder. No I am not going to stain my hands with taking your life. I am going to trap you inside your own mind, screaming for eternity into the void. Now I could be kind and leave you somewhere pleasant, or I could…" Agatha trailed off allowing that thought to settle.
Now Pazzi looked truly terrified.
"Please…please I swear I will help you both if you let me go…I could be helpful you…It wasn't even my idea, the people that want you both dead, I can help you trap them."
"Tempting…" Agatha paused, allowing Pazzi to hope for a moment, indulging in that sliver of cruelty that she had inherited from Dracula somehow.
It was like a cat playing with her kill, giving them the illusion of freedom before pouncing in for the final kill. If Mother Superior could see her now, she would disavow knowing Agatha, yet for once that rebuke seemed muted. Vlad was right, if they showed mercy, these enemies would see that as weakness and it would put their entire family at risk, and Agatha was finding that for her potential child there was no barrier she wouldn't cross.
"But no…Sorry." Not giving Pazzi a moment to resist Agatha plunged them both into an abyss, down and down they plunged into the depths of the ocean, until Agatha spied a simple wooden box resting on the ocean floor.
Forcing Pazzi's consciousness into the long thin box that had once housed Vlad during his century long nap, Agatha hammered down the lid, hovering in the water savouring Pazzi's impotent screams. Conjuring a scimitar style sword, Agatha visualised the mental strands connecting Pazzi's consciousness to his body, watching as they appeared like trails of seaweed. Swinging the sword with all her might, Agatha severed every tether, then she allowed the pull of the sea to scoop her up and carry away, riding the currents until she surfaced.
"Agatha…Agatha…wake up love…please."
Feeling as Vlad shook her Agatha blinked up into her lover's concerned face, Agatha watched as the relief crashed over his expression.
"I'm fine." She whispered, and accepted his kisses with alacrity, feeling him draw her close into his embrace, and scatter kisses over her upturned face.
"We should leave." Agatha whispered into Dracula's shoulder, they had lots to talk about, but this was not the place.
"You won't get any argument from me." Dracula replied, sparing one last glance for Pazzi's open eyed, glazed looking corpse.
He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it, from the outside it looked like they had both frozen like statues, and Dracula couldn't pretend that hadn't shaken him to his core.
Helping Agatha to stand, Dracula retrieved one of the medical wipes Agatha had insisted they carry, using it to wipe Pazzi's face where Agatha had touched him, then as they headed back to the door, wiping down the handles as he closed them before heading back to the window they entered by. So far they had been lucky, but dawn was fast approaching and they still had to head to the river, shake off anyone tracking their scent, cross and change clothes, dump their clothes in the river and make it back to their hotel suite before the city woke up.
They would need their sleep, as tomorrow…no later today, all the shit would hit the fan when Pazzi's body was found, and they would be the prime suspects.
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