I am so sorry for the long delay in getting this done, thank you for your patience. Life sort of got on top of me and I neglected this little gem that is very close to my heart. I hope you are all doing well.

It is not perfect but I will probably come back and fix it later as I always do.

A huge thank you to those who left reviews on the last chapters, I have read them all and they mean so much to me ^^

Here is the third and final chapter of my original one-shot. As I said before I had no idea where I was headed with this but I think I did all right and I hope you all like it as well. Please leave a review and tell me what you think. See you in the next story :)

Penance

In the dark of the night not too far away he had lingered.

Perched on a rooftop, shielded from her senses he sat and waited in the hopes of hearing her call out to him.

But in the hour or so of sobs and self-pitying, he had not heard Clara utter a single plea.

Frustrated and exhausted he had made his way back to his own home in the centre of the city. And as he walked through the now completely deserted streets of London, the young woman's words would not stop repeating in his mind.

"I gave you the chance to end it, why have you done this?"

The image of her eyes overflowing with tears and the sound of her cries was all he could think about.

The walk back seemed longer somehow and it was nearing dawn when he finally arrived home. But he found no solace in the dark emptiness of his luxury abode.

Quickly shedding his coat and boots he restlessly shuffled and fidgeted, pacing from one room to another as he pondered what had motivated his actions. Why he had elected to condemn her to an eternity as one of the monsters she so despised. Why had he gone to see her at all?

Questions upon questions plagued his thoughts as he desperately tried to clear his mind, but he found no peace. Not even as he climbed into bed and desperately tried to force himself to sleep.

He did not know if it was remorse or regret that kept him awake, whatever the reasoning his torment was only made worse when a familiar little voice decided to speak up.

"You are getting soft old man."

It was almost identical to his but carried a deeper more sarcastic tone. Dracula did not respond, choosing instead to cover the side of his head with a large throw cushion. But it made no difference.

"Who thought the great Dracula would find himself defeated by a simple young woman. My my how people will talk." the voice chuckled mockingly.

"Be quiet demon can you not see I am trying to rest."

"Trying yes. But not succeeding. You are thinking about her aren't you, that poor little creature you just destroyed."

He did his best to relax and but the moment he closed his eyes he saw her. Laid down on her silk covers with arms reaching out to embrace him.

"Mmm, she was delightful though wasn't she. I can still hear the sweet little sounds she made. And her blood, oh my we haven't tasted anything so delicious in a very long time. Who knew such a simple young woman could be so…diverting"

With a loud frustrated growl, Dracula threw the cushion to the floor earning another derisive laugh from his subconscious guest.

"Do calm down, such a fuss is unbecoming of you. You needn't trouble yourself with her any longer."

"I am not fussing. You are irritating me."

"Oh yes, you are fussing. You got more than you bargained for when you decided to pay Miss Sauniere a visit tonight. If you had just done as you intended and ripped her head off the second you walked through that door; you would have spared yourself the annoying turmoil of this rudimentary infatuation."

"Tăcere* you pathetic leech. You have been blissfully silent for so long, why now do you choose to bother me?"

"Because you are in distress and in times of need you always turn to your better nature for guidance. And so here is my advice to you. Leave this girl to her own devices. Given the state you left her in she will be dead before weeks end and then you can begin the search for a far more suitable companion. Let us leave this mistake to correct itself."

"Companion? What makes you think I want a companion?"

"Do not lie to yourself man. You and I both know what lurks in your cold, dead heart. If you do not satisfy this ache soon I guarantee it will be your undoing."

"You know nothing of my heart nor the secrets within it. I shall do with that girl as I please and whatever I choose to do will be my decision and mine alone."

"So you do plan on returning? You are a fool. That woman has been nothing but trouble since the day you met. She destroyed everything we worked so hard for. She devoted her every waking moment to your demise and almost succeeded on more than one occasion. Do not let this simple moment of lust cloud your judgment."

"I will hear no more of this. I am exhausted and more than a little irritated now if you will kindly shut up I would like to get some semblance of rest before I completely lose my mind."

"Yes, rest. Perhaps when you awaken you will realise that I as always am right and you should leave our cursed nature to take its course."

After a long time of tossing and turning and arguing with himself, Dracula finally drifted off. But his usual dreamless sleep was plagued with unwanted visions and horrific nightmares.

…

It wasn't until very late the next evening that the Count decided to return to Clara's home. Despite the persistent nagging of his unwanted lodger telling him to go far away and never come back.

With the moon sitting high in the sky the vampire casually scaled the front of her building.

"Doubtless she is regretting her little outburst. Now that she has been given time to calm down, she had better apologise." He thought to himself.

Making his way over the railing of her balcony he saw the doors were already open. The glass on one side was cracked and smeared with blood. Once inside saw that the fire was completely burnt out and the room was dark.

The entire scene felt like something out of a modern horror movie.

"Clara?"

As he got further in he stepped on something soft that crunched under the impact of his heavy boots. Looking down he saw that the floor was littered with dead birds, mostly pigeons with very visible puncture wounds.

"I suppose you thought these would help? Silly girl."

Stepping over the mess he made his way to the bedroom expecting to see her shivering figure curled up on bed sheets or perhaps cowering in a corner. But she was not there. He checked every inch of the place but there was no sign of her anywhere.

'Oh no, you are not running away that easily my sweet.'

Stepping back outside he used every sense at his disposal to find her. After a few moments of concentration and sifting through the general noise of the city he heard the familiar echo of her soft whimpering.

"Hmmm. Well, she is still alive. Is she still crying.?" The voice within mocked "At this rate, she will have no tears for the rest of her existence. What a weak vampire she is turning out to be."

It did not take long to locate the source of the distress, Clara had barely gone two miles from her home and when he finally found her she was curled up on a bench in a deserted park with her gaze fixed on the starless night sky above.

As he approached her she didn't even bother to look at him despite knowing he was there, she seemed completely unmoved by his presence.

She looked completely different to how he had seen her last. Her now dull, almost grey eyes were red-rimmed and her many tears had left a trail of water mixed with blood down her cheeks. Her knees were tucked under her chin like a child with her hands wrapped around her dirty exposed feet. And the right sleeve of her dress was scorched revealing a bright red burn mark on her upper arm that had barely healed.

Beside her sat a small pile of dead birds the blood of which was still making its way down the side of her mouth.

"Clara…." He called out to her as he did his best to ignore the sarcastic inner monologue.

"I was thinking about the first time we met. That freezing night in the harbour." Clara replied, not breaking her gaze.

"Clara you need to come with me," Dracula replied more insistently.

Wiping her dirty hand across her eyes to remove some newly fallen tears Clara chuckled as she recalled her younger, bolder self.

"I was so ready to take you on. I think I may have even fixed my hair before drawing my dagger. Now, look at me. Such a mess."

The Count rolled his eyes "you are a mess because you insist on defying me. Now come along."

"Do you remember that night?"

"My dear what exactly do you expect to gain from this."

"Do you remember?" She repeated with a note of frustration.

Her voice was so raspy from all her crying she barely got the words out. She was completely exhausted and he could see it.

He realised now that he should not have left her all alone.

"Fine." He sighed not wanting to have another futile argument. Raising his hands in surrender he took a seat beside her. "If I recall correctly, yes our first meeting was in the port of Constanța, it was snowing rather heavily. And yes you were very imprudent."

Clara sighed "I am still surprised that my arrogance didn't get me killed that night. Lord knows what I was trying to prove."

"Well in my experience when faced with a strong, confident and handsome man you women feel it necessary to overcompensate to hide either your fear, your attraction or both. Such blind credence often puts you at a disadvantage before you have even begun."

"Attraction? Ugh, do not flatter yourself." Clara scoffed. "The only thing on my mind at that moment was where best to plunge my blades. Besides, it was rather dark and all I could see was your oh-so-nicely done hair dancing playfully against the wind." She smiled weakly as she tried to laugh. "But to be honest I was surprised at how…normal you looked. After all the stories I had been told about you. I was expecting to see a ten-foot demon drenched in blood ready to fight to the death."

Clara could recall the night in question with great clarity. The journey had been long and tiring. The boat had made her so incredibly seasick she almost died of dehydration. She had not been prepared at all for any kind of conflict. Most of her self-assurance had been a complete bluff.

"Well, my dear I would be lying if I told you that I had not gone there with the intention of ripping you to shreds. But likewise, I was caught off guard by your appearance. I had expected another of the orders six-foot muscle-bound men with more weapons than he knew what to do with. Instead, I was greeted by a five-foot-something woman with two small knives and the face of a child."

"Perhaps they thought that you had more than enough six-foot muscle-bound men to occupy yourself with, so why not send someone who would provide you with a challenge."

"Well you certainly did that." the Count replied with a deep chuckle "there was a time that only my dearly departed brides could boast such a feat."

Clara shifted awkwardly in her seat, tucking her feet closer to her "how did you meet them, Verona and the others? I have always been curious."

The vampire arched his brow at her, he wondered why Clara was so insistent on continuing this mundane conversation. He wanted to hoist he to her feet and demand that she stop crying and move on. But what else could he do short of dragging her kicking and screaming?

"I met Verona during the carnival in Venice. She was a beautiful Italian aristocrat three days away from her wedding and I turned her the same night we met. I murdered her fiancé the next evening."

Clara chuckled half-heartedly and rested her head on the back of the bench "of course you did."

"Well I couldn't very well have him causing a commotion now, could I. She wasn't all that bothered by it. I knew that marrying that man would have been the biggest mistake she ever made. She was a rare commodity. Only a king could have made her a good husband"

The Count grinned at the memory of his first evening with Verona. She had indeed been the most beautiful woman he had ever seen at that time. He had seduced her with minimal effort and they had shared a night of such exquisite passion that he elected to make her his wife. And what a wife she had proven to be. She was beautiful, intelligent and eloquent. Everything a man needed. For a while. But just as they had done countless times before his eyes began to wander as the years went on.

"As for Marishka, she was the daughter of a simple tavern owner in Moldova. I caught sight of her when I was passing through her village. She was only meant to be a quick snack but she was so…delightful I decided to keep her."

"I bet Verona loved that." Clara choked out as she wiped her mouth with her soiled nightdress.

"For your information, she was most happy with my choice." Pulling a handkerchief from inside his jacket he handed it to Clara which she begrudgingly accepted. "After a century or two she had gotten quite lonely and longed for some female company and we all got along very well. They were good companions for each other and me."

"That leaves Aleera. The fiery redhead whose anger and blood-thirst rivalled even yours."

At the mere mention of that name Dracula winced.

"Yes, Aleera. She was quite the handful. I met her in Moscow at the court of Ivan the fifth. She was the young mistress of a nobleman. I saw her and she caught my attention. Naturally, I could not let her go without a taste but I am far too greedy to let another man touch what I have made mine. So she became my last bride. However, I do believe that she was a mistake."

"A mistake?"

"She was too young in many ways." Dracula sighed as he shook his head. "She was fiercely loyal and a formidable vampire but her jealousy and lack of self-control caused us many problems. And I do not think the others ever completely warmed to her. I created her on a whim not knowing the ruthless monster she would become. After she was destroyed I became a lot more cautious with my choices."

"And did you have many others after…everything that happened? I don't recall seeing anyone around you as I had before" Clara asked as she nervously pulled at her fingers.

"No, I did not. Perhaps a few women here and there but none I wanted to keep. During our encounter in turkey, there was someone I was interested in but sadly she was lost at the hands of one of your hunter friends."

"Oh I m sorry, I did not know," Clara whispered.

"Well, why would you? After a while, you hunters remember numbers, not names. One dead creature becomes indiscernible from the next as the bodies pile high."

Silence fell between them and Clara sunk her head. She had been wracking her brains all day and night trying to figure out his reasoning, what designs he had on her. In the time she had spent alone she had suffered unimaginable pain and an insatiable hunger and all she wanted was to put an end to it all.

She sighed in defeat and turned away from him again. Looking back up at the sky she drifted back to the moment it all went wrong.

"Why did you do this to me." She muttered under her breath. There was a long pause and when he did not answer her she turned to him. "I do not believe what you said. Not after everything we talked about. Please tell me why you didn't let me die."

Again he did not answer her but when he looked down he saw her tired eyes finally looking up at him. He felt that unwanted wash of guilt in him once again. The sadness painted on her beautiful face was almost unbearable.

But despite his inner conflict he chose to remain completely composed, at least on the outside.

Clara sighed in defeat and turned away to look back up at the sky she drifted back to the moment it all went wrong.

"When I was in the dark I thought I heard your voice. It was difficult to comprehend but I am confident it was an expression of remorse."

"I did not say anything to you," Dracula replied with indifference as he began pulling off his gloves. "You must have imagined it, now come here."

Unbuttoning his lapels he cut a short but deep slit into the side of his neck with his talon-like fingernail and pulled on her hand.

"The blood of animals will never sustain our hunger, newborn or otherwise. Both you and I would need to devour an entire forest of helpless pigeons before we felt any semblance of relief. My blood will make you feel better for the time being."

"I told you." Her little voice sarcastically interjected making Clara's eyes roll in annoyance.

"No no I am fine I don't need it really I-." She said as she moved further down the bench not wanting to be so close to him.

"I am not asking, I am telling, now come here before I change my mind."

Unwilling to argue any further he reached over, grabbed her arm and forcefully lifted her onto his lap so she was straddling him. "I will not offer this to you again."

The sight of his blood was tantalising but she fought to resist the urge to give in. She did not want to become a mindless banshee that always did as he told her to without question.

Soft words whispered with a childlike playfulness in the back of her mind, beckoning her to give in. She tightly shut her eyes as she tried to suppress the urge.

Clara struggled but his grip on her arms didn't loosen. He held her firm as he looked deep into her eyes. The cold blue that encircled his irises glowed faintly as he attempted to take control of her mind.

But he needn't have bothered trying as the smell was becoming more and more unbearable and the unrelenting hunger inside her was becoming harder to ignore with every fibre in her being aching for release.

A release that right now only he could give her.

"It is useless trying to resist. You are strong, very strong in fact. But in the end, the thirst always wins."

"I cant…" She whimpered as she struggled to regain control.

The Count could see the internal conflict in her. The same stubborn fire she had shown him so many times before. One of the qualities he most admired about her.

"I admire your restraint, believe me, I do. But enough is enough." Releasing his grip on one of her arms he gently stroked the side of her face, catching a stray tear as it fell. "Stop fighting."

Unable to hold back any longer Clara leaned in and licked the trail of blood that had fallen down the side of his neck, eliciting a pleasurable moan from her partner. As it touched her tongue something primal ignited within her and she sank her aching fangs into him.

Almost immediately she could feel the fire begin to extinguish, leaving a cool river of relief in its wake and she sighed.

"That's it my darling. That's it." He groaned as he close his eyes.

Despite being completely disgusted at what she was doing and whom she was doing it with, she could not deny the erotic nature of the situation. And the sounds coming from the man beneath her only served to fuel that shameful lust quickly running its hot trail down between her thighs.

With her arms now free she grabbed the side of his neck to still him as she became lost in the moment. His blood tasted, unlike anything she had ever known. It was rich and savoury and she couldn't get enough.

When she was finally sated she gently pulled away from him and let her head fall back as the euphoric sensations ran over her like a tidal wave. Her skin felt like it was glowing as it returned to its clean polished state with not a blemish in sight. And her eyes were glowing their brilliant blue with renewed vitality.

"I feel…I feel better thank you." She whispered as she wiped the corners of her mouth.

As she attempted to get off his lap Dracula's hold on her became firm once again. Their intimacy had awakened his lust and the smell of his blood on her lips only served to drive him even more wild.

Keeping her still he leaned his face closer.

"No, stop I can't," Clara said weakly as she pressed her hands to his chest trying to force some space between them.

"Clara" he quickly cut her off "do not deny me."

All rational thought turned into a delirious hum as his lips enveloped hers. She tried to resist and she pushed harder against him but his grip was too strong and his tongue was so skilful that before long she found herself giving in.

An eternity seemed to go by as they sat there in each other's embrace, locked in that moment of passion. The feelings and sensations he was giving her were far more intense than they had been when she was human and the desire building deep inside was almost frightening.

"I want you." He whispered against her ear.

His hands began moving around her waist and up her torso whilst hers found their way to the lower buttons of his jacket. With his fresh blood coursing through her veins Clara was overrun with renewed sensation and a sudden rush of unbridled lust.

"Take me" she whispered against his lips.

Without another word he gather her in his arms and took off into the night sky.

…

It could have been hours or weeks that passed as she sat gazing at her surroundings. The black satin sheets beneath her were crumpled and the man at her side was in a deep sleep.

She couldn't quite recall how they had arrived at this apartment. In the heat of the moment, she had become too lost in the throes of his attentions that she barely realised they had even moved.

Yet here she was again. In a bed, naked, with him.

She wondered why she had given in so easily. Was it something supernatural? Had he somehow manipulated her into wanting it? Or was it simply her.

His home reminded her of a dark tomb or abandoned crypt. The walls were almost completely black making her feel like she was trapped in a tiny box

Looking down on her sleeping bedfellow she sighed and stood up, looking around she saw no signs of her own clothing so elected to grab one of his dress shirts which easily covered her comparatively small frame.

As she quietly left the bedroom she made her way to the living room which had the same claustrophobic atmosphere. However, in place of the coffins and blood chalices, she had expected to see. She was greeted with a simple leather sofa set and a sprawling bookshelf.

And just like her, he had a large set of shelves housing weapons, tokens and trophies he had collected over the years.

Most prominent among these was a silver steak encased in glass that looked eerily familiar. And then she realised, it was the weapon she had used the first time she had managed to land a hit on him.

She couldn't believe he still had it.

"It always reminds me of our first intimate encounter. I simply could not let it go." Came a deep voice from behind her.

She suddenly felt arms wrap around her waist and pull her backwards.

"No please don't." She protested as she tried to pull him off.

"Why not?" He replied, tightening his grip. "you were so eager before. Let me have you again, I will go much slower this time."

"That was then. This is now. And right now I don't want you to touch me." Clara said as she quickly batted his hands away.

The amazing high she had experienced was long gone leaving the horrible realisation of what she had done. The shame and regret were quickly becoming overwhelming and all she wanted was to be out of his home and as far away from him as possible.

"Come here, go away. Will you never tire of this game?" Dracula sighed as he took a step back. "You look far better at least, your arm is healed and you will not be feeling sick for a good long while/ But as I said before I will not be feeding you again. You must let go of your useless moralities and do what it is in your nature to do."

Clara did not respond. The mere thought of killing another human being for food made her feel sick. But the birds she had spent her time consuming had made her feel more weak and ill than she ever thought possible.

"Please stop, this is not a topic I wish to discuss right now."

"Do you think you are the first to feel this way? I have seen so many new vampires do exactly as you have. Though you are the first I have seen to devour a flock of pigeons." Dracula replied with a chuckle.

Clara rolled her eyes

"Fine, perhaps a different topic of conversation." He continued. "There is something I have been meaning to ask you. The first time I broached the subject you avoided answering, but seeing as we are now more intimately acquainted perhaps you will indulge me."

Clara turned around slowly and lowered her gaze, fearful of what he was going to say next.

"Why did you ask me to make love to you the other night?" He asked.

"Why does it matter?" She responded rather curtly.

"It matters, my reasons are my own."

She stared at him for a moment, contemplating whether or not she wanted to open up to him since the last time had ended in total disaster.

"Well, I would rather not discuss that either if you don't mind." She said as she nervously tugged at her sleeves.

"As a matter of fact, I do mind. I have answered all the questions you have put to me this evening. It seems only fair that you return the favour."

"Fine, if you must know I asked you because I was incredibly desperate and you were the only man available at that moment. Happy."

"Come now, Clara. You could have fulfilled your heart's desire long before I came back to you. You could have found a nice stranger, asked one of your colleagues or perhaps even a paid liaison? Why did you wait to ask me?"

"Oh, I don't know all right. I thought I did but I don't. I was hoping I would be dead by now so I wouldn't have to answer these questions."

Frustrated she hung her head and her voice began to crack in frustration. Dracula reached out in an attempt to comfort her but hesitated as she began to shake.

"I had it all figured out. I was so ready to die, so ready to finally let it all go. I thought that perhaps if it were you. If you were the one to do it that somehow I could…"

She paused as she attempted to gather her composure. After a brief silence and wiping her eyes she straightened her posture and turned to look at him.

"You still haven't given me an explanation. Why did you do this to me? Why after all this time did you suddenly decide that you didn't want me dead?"

"BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT TO BE ALONE ANYMORE!" Dracula yelled impatiently as he grabbed her arms a bit more roughly than he intended. "And for whatever reason, I want to be with you, I want you to be by my side. Maybe it is love or perhaps it is loneliness, I do not know. But when I held you in my arms and saw the light leave your eyes, the thought of never seeing you again was suddenly the most horrific thing I could imagine."

"You do not love me" Clara scoffed. "We shared a moment but that is all. You hate me you have always hated me."

She tried to pull away, desperate to put some distance between them. But his hands stayed firm.

"Yes, I did hate you. I wanted you dead more than anyone I have ever known, even more than the wretched man who murdered me and destroyed countless lifetimes worth of work. But for whatever reason no matter how hard I tried to kill you or stay away completely, I always found myself back on the path towards you. Do you not see? We are meant to be together I just know it."

As he uttered these last words he snaked his arm around her waist and gently pulled her back to him again. Clara tried to turn her face away, terrified to meet his gaze in case she faltered once more.

"I have grown so tired of my solitude. Be mine Clara, stay with me and be mine."

Resistance became an afterthought as she began to sink into his embrace. His large body enveloped hers with ease and the feeling of his cool breath on her skin sent shivers all over her.

"And when you get bored?" She replied softly. "How long until you tire of me and leave?"

"Don't you think I would have tired of you already? Wouldn't I have let you die if I were so disillusioned with you? Most women could only hope to keep my interest for a few decades at best. You have had it for centuries."

He inched his face down towards her hoping to steal a kiss and be done but she quickly moved away. Frustrated he aggressively grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look up at him.

"Tell me you do not want me and I will go. Look me in my eyes, tell me you do not want this and you will never see me again."

She tried to look away once again but he held her fast.

"Tell me, Clara."

A long silence ensued. And after what felt like ages she finally lifted her hand and gently pulled his hand away.

She knew. She didn't want this.

"I can't do this." She whispered and walked back to the bookcase. Her left hand reached out and rested on the shelf with the large silver steak. "I cannot be what you want."

Finding the leather-bound grip she grabbed it and turned back to face Dracula. "You should have just done as I asked you, foolish man."

"Clara, put that down." He said slowly as he took a careful step towards her, afraid to make any sudden movements.

"I will finish this." She said as she turned the sharp tip towards her heart. "I will do what you could not."

"CLARA DON'T!"

He lunged forwards as fast as he could, but before he could reach her, Clara plunged the blade deep into her chest. She screamed as the white-hot metal burned its way through her flesh. A thick black and red liquid immediately began to ooze from the fresh wound along with a thin mist of smoke and her body went limp and fell to the floor.

Dracula tried to pull the weapon from her, his own hands blistering as they made contact. With a few desperate tugs, he managed to free the object from her and threw it to the floor. But he knew it was already too late. Her body was slowly beginning to turn black and disintegrate in his arms.

Her lips parted as though she were going to say something but no sound came out, she could only look at him. She smiled weakly one last time before her eyes rolled back and the darkness consumed her.

Dracula wanted to scream, he wanted to cry out and beg God not to let her leave. But he was stunned silent as he watched the ashes of her decaying figure fall like sand into the palm of his hands.

And then something happened. Something that had not happened for as long as he could remember.

He cried.

Small crystalline tears fell down his cheeks as he witnessed the last of Clara's beautiful face dissolve into black dust.

He sat helpless in the shallow pile of remains completely stunned.

"She is gone, she is really gone."

It had all happened so fast he could not understand how things had spiralled so quickly. She had been standing there just a moment ago, he had been holding her close to him. How did it all go so wrong?

He would never see her again.

The last remnant of his former life was gone and for the first time, he felt completely alone.

For hours he sat there, unable to take his eyes off of the pile on the floor. The image of her falling apart in his hands replayed over and over.

It wasn't until a small sliver of yellow light broke through his dark curtains that his focus broke and he saw that the sun was rising

"Well that is it then."

He reached down and picked up the blood-covered steak laying on the ground and walked towards the sunlit window.

*Tăcere - Romanian for "silence"