A/N: Guess what. I couldn't think of a title. Help here would be good :P Any helpful suggestions for improving the end of this chapter would be peachy as well. And I keep hearing about spelling mistakes which for the life of me I can't find, so if you could be so kind, could you email me (essie) and tell me where they are? Hope you enjoy. Sorry for the wait.
Chapter 4
-Pandora
There was little left to the night, only a few hours at best, but it was difficult to judge with the storm still raging outside. The small window high on the wall was just enough to chill the room and drive Integra to pacing for warmth. The down blankets on the bed were a definite no-go. Although she was still furious and frustrated, wrapping up in blankets supplied by a vampire was not Integra's concept of a good idea. Especially with that bloody demon still lurking around. Integra could feel it, that oppressive sensation of being watched. She glowered, ignoring the feeling of dejá vu that accompanied the vampire's presence.
'If you're going to watch me all night you could at least give me some hot tea,' she said flatly.
A deep, almost sinister laugh echoed around the room, followed by a mocking voice, 'Anything for you, Miss Hellsing.'
Integra froze as the presence disappeared. That voice - she shook her head, riding her mind of the impossible concept. Further frustrated, Integra continued her stiff pacing, waiting.
Dracula was assuredly in no hurry to appease the young British woman, as it was nearly half an hour before a faint mist began to pour into Integra's room. Half expecting Dracula himself to appear with another barrage of taunts, Integra stood firmly and waited for the vampire to materialize, an agonizingly slow process. When it was complete the tall dark haired female stood before her, holding a tray with a hot kettle. The vampire watched with a silent glare, waiting for Integra to take the tray.
Integra's lips played in a smug smile. 'Serve the tea inside the cup,' she commanded.
The vampire snarled. 'Don't push it, human,' she hissed with all that was left of her dignity. Having to deliver drink to a human was degrading enough. She refused to play servant to the woman.
Integra kept her smile. 'You're his servant. I'm a guest. Know your place.'
The vampire's eyes flashed red as images of the woman's dead body crossed her mind. Thinking of the repercussions, however, the vampire consented to another snarl and intense glare. 'I am no one's servant. Now take your blasted tea so I can leave.'
Integra folded her arms over her chest. 'If you aren't his servant, why do you do his bidding?'
The watched feeling suddenly returned. Integra could tell the female vampire felt it also. Integra's eyes turned from curiosity to amusement as the vampire's shifted nervously.
'Take your damn tea,' she snarled.
'You could just leave, you know,' Integra pointed out, taking the tray, 'and stop antagonizing me.'
Without a word the angry vampire disappeared again into mist and left the room. Glaring at the ceiling, Integra stiffly sat down on the bed, setting the tray next to her. Fumbling with half-frozen fingers, she poured the thick, strong tea into a small cup.
'You're going to regret it if you drugged this, vampire,' she warned, speaking to the presence she could feel all around her. Gingerly sipping the hot liquid, Integra could at least feel thankful for the rush of warmth it sent coursing through her body.
She was warm, and only half awake. Through closed lids she could the pale, filtered light of mid-morning. I slept in, Integra thought as she sighed quietly, her body relaxing into the soft down comforter.
Suddenly her eyes pooped open and her hand flew to her neck. She simultaneously sat upright in the bed, the blankets falling away from her and a blast of cold air hitting her face. She had not been dreaming. And that bloody vampire had drugged her. Still have a pulse, at least. Always a plus.
Jumping to her feet, Integra instantly regretted the rapid motion as the blood rushed from her head and the floor spun. Ignoring her temporary blindness, she reached for the door, not surprised to find it unlocked, and pulled it open. Glancing down one end of the hall she saw a large window set at the far end of a landing. Following the open passage Integra was lead straight down a two flights of stairs and into the main foyer, where an arrogant and amused vampire waited for her.
'Good morning,' he greeted, boasting a smirk that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his lips.
'What's the meaning of all of this?' she demanded curtly.
'All of what?' Dracula returned feigning innocence.
'Locked doors. Drugged tea,' Integra explained, her patience for the vampire nearing zero as her body had been drained of much of its energy by the cold. 'A guest should be allowed the freedom to leave.'
Dracula casually stepped aside and gestured toward the large wooden doors. 'There's the exit.'
Integra blinked and glared at him. The blizzard was still whirling outside and by the sound of it seemed to be growing stronger. 'Stop tampering with the wind,' she commanded.
Dracula looked at her blankly. 'I thought you were leaving,' he commented as the door slowly opened, letting in white gusts of frigid wind.
'You may fool the local peasants, vampire, but your gypsy magic tricks don't fool me. Let go of the storm.'
'You're wearing out your welcome, young one,' Dracula shot back, unmoving.
'My welcome?' Integra asked, almost shocked at his choice of words. 'You kidnapped me and locked me in here against my will -'
'The door is open, human,' Dracula cut her rant short. 'No one is holding you here but yourself.
Too flustered to even retort, Integra stormed out of the castle, her blood boiling in rage. The door closed quickly after her with a hollow thud that was lost in the howling wind. With noting to keep her warm, Integra's only thought was to find shelter as quickly as possible. The ground beneath her feet was already covered with more than a meter of loose wet snow, and each step sunk her knee deep into it, soaking her legs and seeping through the tops of her boots.
The snow swirled so densely that it was nearly impossible to see more than a meter away. An occasional break in the wind displayed the castle gate several meters away. When Integra arrived there the gate was opened, but a snow drift deeper than she was tall blocked the passage.
Bloody hell, she thought. Not pausing to look for another way out, Integra began to dig her way through the drift with already frozen fingers. It could have been a few minutes, it could have been an hour. Integra would never know how long it took to push through the barrier, but when she was free she finally felt a heavy sense of oppression leave her.
Now outside of Dracula's domain, Integra began to fumble her way to the mountainside, hoping to keep it within her view and find the road she knew must be there. Perhaps it was a sudden gust of wind that pushed Integra over her limit, or perhaps her legs just gave out. Whatever the cause, Integra watched her body fall away and land softly in the snow bed. She did not feel anything, no longer sensing the bite of the cold or the wetness of her clothing. Her control over her body was autonomic, reacting without thought or conscious command, and slowly she rose again to her feet.
Standing alone in a torrent of white, Integra closed her eyes and tried to focus on the direction she had been headed, but neither Dracula's castle nor the mountainside could be seen. Saying a quick prayer, she opened her eyes and chose a direction. After an eternal moment Integra felt cold rock under her gloved hands, arriving at the face of the mountain with her jaw set in determination.
She focused her eyes in front of her, keeping her hand in constant contact with the rock as she moved on. She pressed forward for nearly an hour, her body shivering violently but clinging to the hope that she had found the road that would lead her to shelter. The village could not be far away. But she soon started to stumble, and as time moved on it took her longer and longer to raise herself again, until, at last, she came to a dead-end where the rock fell away beneath her feet and she landed in an unmoving heap at the bottom of a shallow drop.
In the space above, the storm lessened and a dark figure looked down at the unconscious Integra, his features obscured by the falling snow.
