Chapter 3

-Persephone

Somewhere in the darkness of the ancient castle its dark lord rested, content with his small victory for the time. He expected no easy triumph over this mortal, this woman who called herself a knight, and that was the sole reason he had brought her to his castle. Yet he was still annoyed.

'Something troubles you, m'lord,' a lusty feminine voice spoke out of the black shadows in Dracula's native tongue.

'You do,' Dracula snapped. 'Now leave me.'

The darkness seamed to lessen over three female vampires gathered near the wall. Their features were still masked by the shadows, but Dracula could recognize each of them without difficulty, and without sight. It was for this reason he knew which of the three was walking softly toward him and anticipated her actions before she even touched him, his eyes still closed gently.

Her movements were slow, deliberate, and tender. Dracula remained motionless, allowing the female to caress him, running her fingers softly through his hair, brushing her cool lips against his. She softly whispered a heavily accented plea between kisses, for the barest instant receiving no response from her lord. Then suddenly the smaller vampire cried out as Dracula grabbed a fistful of her light curls. Pulling her roughly away from him, Dracula's eyes blazed a furious red as fear turned to ice the females liquid blue.

Integra stood and paced slightly to help increase the circulation of blood in her body. As the blizzard picked up outside the temperature within the damp foyer dropped dangerously. The vampire seemed to have ignored the advancement in technology called fire and central heating. Figures. He doesn't have to deal with the cold. She turned, bored, and surveyed the room again. I'd die for one of Walter's teas right now, she thought, analyzing the patterns of brickwork and wood-molding. After a while a figure materializing at the edge of her peripheral vision caught her attention.

Integra groaned inwardly as a tall female approached her, her dark eyes glowing faintly red in rage.

'You don't belong here,' she hissed at the intruder.

Integra rolled her eyes and replied in kind. 'Believe me, I'm not thrilled at the concept. Now leave before I turn you to dust.'

Integra pulled her gun out threateningly as the dark vampire advanced. 'Try it, bitch,' she challenged.

A flash of confusion crossed the vampire's face as three bullets tore through her skull in rapid succession. The expression was brief, her body dissolving almost instantly to dust.

Integra watched the dust vanish with smug disinterest, snapping the safety and returning her gun to its holster.

Suddenly the vampire appeared behind her, and Integra spun, refusing to be caught off guard. The vampire lunged at the human with a hiss, her cold fingers stretched out to seek Integra's throat. Integra lithely dodged the attack and positioned herself just to the side of a cast-iron wall fixture.

'Come and get me, little bride,' Integra taunted, mocking her host and his preferred scenery.

With a snarl the vampire retrieved a small dagger from her crimson corset and rushed blindly forward. She hardly made it a step before two strong hands pulled her back and threw her against the nearest wall. The female fell with a sharp thud as her dagger clashed on the marble floor.

Bloody vampire. Integra had been enjoying the conflict, and, as her bullets harmed neither the female nor her master, she had been hoping for a bit of experimentation more to her own level.

'That wasn't necessary.' She glared at Dracula, dropping her defensive stance but still alert. She would not allow the arrogant vampire to harbour the idea that she could not defend herself against one of his minions. The female vampire knew better than to push her fortune and so remained where she had fallen.

'Remember your place here, human,' he growled, lashing out at Integra but furious at his bride.

Integra's eyes brightened as if she had just remembered something important. 'Oh, yes! I'm a vampire hunter. How could I have forgotten?' she mocked, her tone turning from playful to murder as she drew her gun again and aimed it at Dracula's head.

Ignoring the weapon, Dracula pulled the other vampire up by her hair and continued to meet Integra's intense glare. 'You are my guest here, for now,' he reminded her. 'Be cautious, human.'

As Integra started her retort, not to be outdone by allowing him the last word, Dracula, along with the infuriated and terrified female, vanished into mist.

'You should take your own advice, vampire,' she finished anyway, knowing that he could still hear her as the mist quickly departed. Integra growled low in her throat and started to pace the width of the foyer. She was cold, very hungry, and more than annoyed with Dracula and her circumstance. Outside the winds' howls were growing steadily louder, if that were possible, almost as if entire packs of wolves had joined the ruckus. Integra stopped and glared at the door, as if the flames in her eyes could thaw the storm so she could leave. When it did not work Integra spun and headed off defiantly through the long unlit corridors.

The architecture of the castle was fairly static throughout the portion she explored. The darkness did not bother her, and her eyes adjusted quickly, allowing her to see the dim outlines of several nondescript doors. Testing them, Integra found all that but one opened, with only the effort of breaking through the neglected hinges, into more dusty corridors lined in ancient tapestries and filled with artifacts from an unknown era.

The doors opened, but Integra guessed that whatever Dracula was hiding would not be so easily accessed by a human. Integra ignored the unlocked doors.

The last door was set by a large window facing another wall of the castle. The same as the other door, it was made of heavy wood trimmed with iron moldings, handle and bolt. Integra tried to remove the bolt manually, but that not working, and not wanting to waste time playing with it, Integra stood back and splintered the surrounding wood with a single shot from her gun. Reaching into the door Integra found a hidden latch holding the bolt in place and flipped it. The door swung inward with ease, revealing yet another long corridor, dark and dank, but surprisingly lacking in dust. She hesitated a moment, eyeing the cavernous corridor with suspicion before moving cautiously forward.

Let's see what your hiding, vampire, she thought as she slowly stepped through the doorway, keeping her gun drawn and ready. Only a few paces in she stopped, suddenly keenly aware that she was being watched. Standing still for a moment, she spun around, keeping her gun ready to fire in front of her.

'I suggest you take my offer for safe quarter,' Dracula's sinister voice warned from behind her. As Integra turned back around she saw him complete his transformation from a heavy mist to block her path.

'What do you care about my safety? I killed two of your servants and would have killed a third if you hadn't appeared,' she said dryly, starting to walk around him.

'You cannot destroy any who dwell here,' he clarified, forcefully halting her movement.

Shooting him a glare, Integra pushed past him with a fleeting thought, What is he hiding?

Dracula stopped her, gripping her arm and pushing her back toward the still-open door. 'I could easily lock you in a room,' he growled, 'but I would prefer if you go willingly.'

Anger flaring, Integra held her ground and pressed the barrel of her gun against hid temple. 'It may not destroy you, but it'll hurt like hell,' she warned, meeting his dark eyes with the icy flame of hers. 'Let go of my arm.'

Dracula impatiently separated Integra's weapon from her hand and, maintaining his iron grip, vanished.

'This is becoming a really annoying habit,' Integra growled trying to jerk away from the vampire once they had rematerialize in a different location.

Without a pause Dracula pushed her down onto the bed, the only piece of furniture in the large room. Integra landed on her back with Dracula pinning her arms above her head.

'Get off me,' Integra hissed at the vampire, trying vainly to break out of his hold. 'You can't keep me here against my will,' she shot at him with an even darker glare. 'I'm not your prisoner.'

Dracula leaned toward her threateningly. 'I gave you fair warning. Do not tempt me, woman.'

'Get off me,' Integra said with a low, dangerous voice, pausing between words for emphasis.

'You may leave at dawn,' Dracula said, casting a final warning glance before righting himself and making his exit. Integra followed at his heels only to arrive at an already locked and bolted door. Gritting her teeth in frustration, Integra beat her fist against the wood. A quick glance at the barren room left the definite conclusion that the door was the only exit, and she had nothing to aid her in opening it.

Perfect. Now I'm trapped.