A/N: you guys amuse me, ya know :P give me some time to explain, the story doesn't end here, lol. But to clarify, the Dracula side of the crossover corresponds with the Bram Stoker book (in everything except the ending of the book and Dracula's physical descriptions), so if you've read it you'll understand the vampness better ;) (otherwise I'm not tellin, you'll figure it out as the story progresses XD)
Chapter 6
-Hermes
Night had fallen. The taste of blood, a taste she had very nearly forgotten, filled Katrina's mouth, sharp, metallic, and old. Her lips stung as they touched against Integra's fevered skin, and she closed her eyes as she continued to bite down.
Integra's eyes widened in shock. Definitely not what I expected. She fixed her glare on Dracula as he moved into her field of vision, and was grateful for Katrina's strength supporting her, or she would have collapsed. She could hardly explain what she felt; anger, betrayal, fear. She was weak, and she knew it - far too weak to put up any more of a fight.
Integra closed her eyes, suddenly bombarded with another presence and another puzzle.
Alucard. He's here.
She opened her eyes and watched as a third vampire materialized in the corner of the room. 'Don't destroy her,' Integra commanded, half disgruntled, as she saw him reach inside his coat. Her body was almost limp in the female vampire's arms defying how hard she struggled to maintain her own strength. 'Ally...' she tried to explain.
Alucard halted, surprised at the order. He smelled blood. The female vampire looked up at him in shock, and he could see the blood on her lips. Suddenly his smirk returned to his lips and he chuckled. The blood smelled almost stale, and was definitely not taken from his master. The trace of pain in the vampire's blue eyes told him exactly who the blood belonged to.
Annoyed nonetheless, Alucard threw the vampire away from Integra, the human staggering backwards to support herself against the wall, and turned toward the door, drawing a large black gun from inside his coat to fire at an incredibly furious Dracula. Katrina's head cracked against the stone wall, leaving her momentarily dazed. Shaking the fog from her head, she darted forward just in time to stop Integra from collapsing onto the bed.
'You may want to get out of here, Miss Hellsing,' Alucard suggested casually as he pushed the fight with Dracula into the hall to give his master an exit.
After being waved away by the human, Katrina vanished into mist and departed. Every footfall sending another jolt of pain through her skull, Integra hurried as quickly as she could from the room and down the opposite end of the unlit corridor. Before she reached the end, however, the light hared vampire appeared before her.
'Wear this,' Katrina commanded in a motherly tone, handing Integra a soft bundle. 'It's still very cold outside.'
Still wary of the creature, Integra donned the heavy woolen cloak. 'Can you lead me to the village?' she asked.
Katrina nodded but replied quietly. 'You'll never make it.'
Gesturing for Katrina to get moving, Integra commented, 'You don't know me very well.'
They had just come down the last flight of steps onto the main level of the castle. Integra was exhausted but refused to show any more weakness. She ignored the supporting arm Katrina had offered her as she stumbled down the last few steps, striding past the vampire and into the open foyer. Suddenly she heard Katrina yelp from behind her.
Spinning around quickly, Integra came face to face with the younger of the dark hared females bound to the castle's owner. Before she had time to do anything she found herself knocked to the ground by a stiff backhand from the vampire. Katrina was only just rising from her sprawled position on the staircase.
'You little fool,' the oldest of the three brides sneered, pinning her sister to the ground with her foot. In her hand she held Integra's sabre which Dracula had confiscated when he undressed her. Katrina watched in fear as she drew the sabre, feeling helpless to defend herself.
'I'm not going to let you betray him so easily,' the female hissed, plunging the blade just above the neckline of Katrina's dress and through her heart.
With a cry of pain and surprise, Katrina's body vanished into dust, and her attacker turned to Integra. She had made it to her feet and backed toward the door, keeping the two sisters within her field of vision. Only a step away from the door she felt a mist stirring at her feet. She glanced down quickly to find it only to look up and see the two vampires rushing her. Reaching for the handle Integra felt two arms wrap around her shoulders and the press of a feminine body against her back.
'What the - ' Integra protested and tried to fight as a familiar sensation came over her and she felt her body dissolving. I'm really hating this damsel in distress scenario, she thought as the two rematerialized in an ice encrusted cavern.
Once her body was free she spun quickly, blinking away the accompanying dizziness to find Katrina collapsed on the ground.
'Why are you helping me?' Integra wondered aloud. Pulling the hood over her head and holding the cloak snug around her, Integra sat at the back of the cavern, facing the snowy entrance not too far away. The frigid air helped to revive her senses somewhat and alleviate some of the pain in her head. Now if only that bloody vampire would stop playing around with himself.
Integra remained motionless, watching both the vampire and the entrance suspiciously. After nearly two hours of struggling to stay conscious, both areas rewarded her observation with signs of what, for some, could be termed as 'life.' Katrina slowly came to, pushing herself into a sitting position and glancing tiredly around the small cave. At the same time Alucard poked his head in through the low opening.
'Good evening to you both,' he greeted with a grin.
'Having fun playing with yourself, Alucard?' Integra asked dryly.
Katrina's eyes widened and she balked, trying to scoot herself farther away from the entrance.
Alucard chuckled, both at the bride and at his master. 'Different dimension. He's not me, but would you like me to explain now or shall we get out of the cold before he wakes up?'
'Different dimension?' Integra repeated skeptically.
'You're sitting in a cave in Transylvania surrounded by two undead in the nineteenth century with a slightly annoyed alternate of me regenerating in a castle a few miles away, Master. This is hardly the time to play skeptic.'
Integra declined to honour him with a retort, instead she rose to her feet, stooping to make it through the exit.
Alucard glanced through the opening at Katrina and gestured her to follow Integra's example. 'Come out, little bride. I won't bite.'
'That's a matter of opinion, don't you think?' Integra commented.
Hearing Alucard's deep laugh, Katrina cowered further away from the exit.
'He's a nasty insensible git, Katrina, but he won't do anything unless I order him.'
From inside the cave Katrina heard Integra's short gasp followed by an angry, 'What in God's name do you think you are doing?! Put me down!'
'Is that a compliment, Master?' Alucard asked, ignoring her protests and wrapping the cloak tighter around her.
'No, I don't need to feed your ego, now put me down,' she replied testily.
'Unless you're ready to accept my offer, you're not walking anywhere,' Alucard explained, his fangs glinting in the light of the rising moon.
Integra glared at him. 'You already know my answer.'
While the two were bickering Katrina shyly crept toward the opening. Noticing this, Alucard turned his attention briefly from the still fuming Integra to the other vampire.
'Say, little bride, do you want to come with us? Become part of our dark little family?'
Integra's glare turned icy. 'Not funny, Alucard.'
'Master, if the weather doesn't freeze me, neither will your glare,' Alucard taunted, as, with a laugh, he started the long walk toward the nearest village, Katrina trailing quietly behind.
