Author's Note: (Okay I'm replying to a review I got. I have the Vampire Chronicle books, but have not read them yet. I have watched the movie Interview With the Vampire, where I did see how Lestat transformed Louis into a vampire. I liked how that was done and used it in my own way. But, I did not intend of Adam being like Louis. But if you feel he is like that, then that's good. I do not want anyone being boxed in on how my characters are. They should create their own opinions about them and love-- or hate--the characters due to those opinions. But, I LOVE all things vampire! Which is why I based the story around Adam and Madeline.)

Victoria, feeling smug about how Adam handled the situation because of what she had said to him, walked up to Adam and just watched him. She rolled her eyes seeing him crying over being strict with Madeline. 'He's lucky I didn't run after her. A stunt like that would have had her dead instead of unconscious.' She put her hand on Adam's shoulder, and he turned his head to glare up at Victoria. "Get away from me," he hissed.
Victoria glared back at Adam. "I am the reason everything is still salvageable. So, don't think of blaming this on me."
Adam spat, "What harm would Madeline have done?"
"She would have told Anna everything. She would have found a way to let her out. Or, she would go after Van Helsing." Victoria replied.
Adam stood up, with his daughter in his arms. "I don't know how you took control of my actions. I know you weren't in my mind, but you used something to get me to listen to you. But, I won't do it again. I've changed my mind. I want you out of here because I see who you really are."
Victoria scowled. "Are you breaking our deal?" Adam didn't answer, so she said, "If you break our deal, I will destroy you. Don't doubt me on that."
"Go ahead and try, Victoria." Adam dared.
Victoria, seeing she did not put fear in Adam's heart, said, "I will go back to Salem, only if you give me that document Van Helsing signed."
"Never." Adam replied.
"Then, I'm taking Anna with me."
Adam glared at Victoria then held Madeline with one arm so he could pull the signed document from inside his jacket. "Here," he said handing the paper over.
Victoria snatched it and put it away in her corset. "First, I'm checking Anna."
"Go ahead." Adam replied.
Victoria unlocked Anna's door and opened it to find Anna trying to hear what was going on. "Madeline said you are using me." Anna stated backing away from the witch. Victoria nodded as she slammed the door and took a few steps towards Anna. Anna backed up into her bed, then started to go around it when Victoria used her magic to pull Anna up onto her bed.
"Yes, you are being used. But for good purposes, believe me." Victoria replied pulling out a handful of the pure pixie dust. "Now, you must fall asleep."
Victoria chanted in the tongue for magical incantations, then blew the pixie dust into Anna's face. Anna fought it, but she couldn't beat the magical powder that sent her into a dream world. Victoria held her hand over Anna's lower abdomen and waited for a moment. She then felt the presence of a child deep inside of Anna. Victoria smirked and felt satisfied enough to leave. "Well, looks like things are going as planned here, even if the events outside this door are not."
Victoria left Anna's room and locked it up again. Adam left as soon as he saw Victoria leave Anna's room. Victoria told him, "I'm leaving a few members of my coven here to tend to Anna."
Adam turned around and said, "Leave Mae, she'll be enough."
Victoria shook her head. "I'm leaving Lily here to make sure Mae doesn't screw up. But I will take Tabitha with me, since you don't like her just like you don't like me."
"Then, be gone, Victoria Robertson." Adam replied as he went around a corner and out of Victoria's sight.
"Watch your back, Adam Peter Christophen." Victoria warned even though he didn't hear her.
Victoria called her coven to her telepathically, and they followed her outside. "Lily, you are staying here with Mae to watch Anna." Victoria said. "We all are no longer welcome here. Adam has made that clear." The coven, who'd formed a circle around Victoria, muttered amongst themselves.
"Are we going back to Salem?" Caitlin asked.
Victoria turned to stare at the witch. "No, we aren't leaving this town. I refuse to let Adam take control of all of this. I told him I'd leave the manor, but I never said I'd leave Vaseria." The coven gave a wicked laugh, and Victoria joined in. 'Adam will never know that we are here, and I can monitor his behavior. If he thinks he can cheat me, he is wrong.' Victoria thought. 'I have quite a rage myself.'
Adam laid Madeline gently down on her bed and brushed back the curls out of her eyes. He felt hollow inside at the sight of his daughter lying there unconscious to the world because of his actions. "Madeline, what have I done? I let Victoria rule me, and this happened." He sank down to his knees and kissed his daughter's hand. "But don't worry, she's gone now. I sent her away."
Adam got up and sat in a chair across the room, and he put his hands to his face. He never wanted to physically harm Madeline, and he had promised himself to never punish her that way. 'But, Victoria changed your mind. She made you so determined to get the job done that you were blind to all the other things that mattered.' Adam thought. 'Now, Madeline will never trust me anymore. Why did I have to be so stupid?'

Carl was asleep as a ship carried him and Van Helsing to America, and he was dreaming. His dreams were flashes of his conversation with Madeline. He saw her blonde curls, fair skin, and bright green eyes. Green eyes that watched him as he told her about all about his chemistry and science discoveries to make inventions. He would have liked to talk longer to Madeline, but she had to retire to bed. Carl felt emotions stir that were a possible danger to his friar status. He was not a monk, so he still wasn't harnessed by strict rules but was discouraged in taking part in restricted activities. So, Carl feared that he was falling in love with Madeline, even if his mind told him that it was impossible for him to love her after meeting and talking to her once. But, the feeling of love was alive in his heart.
Van Helsing didn't sleep mostly because he feared sleep. He had dreams of Anna and the night that he wasn't sure if it was a dream that Victoria had put in his head. He needed rest, but he knew he could handle not sleeping. There was enough time to sleep later on the boat, so Van Helsing stayed up and stared at the stars. 'I'm coming, Anna,' he thought. 'I'll come to get you as soon as I can. First, I have to find out who I'm dealing with, the witches that have you.'
Van Helsing looked over and saw Carl wasn't sleeping peacefully because he appeared to be worried. "Carl," he said quietly. Carl didn't seem to respond, so Van Helsing took out his tojo blades and turned them on. Carl heard the sounds and woke up fearing the worst. He saw Van Helsing sitting in the corner with his tojo blades running, and he turned them off as soon as Carl was awake.
"What in the blazes are you doing, Van Helsing?" Carl shouted out.
Van Helsing put his tojo blades away. "You seemed to be having a restless sleep."
Carl sighed. "It's nothing, really. I've just been stressed."
"Like I'm not?" Van Helsing asked feeling a little hurt.
Carl put up his hands. "I didn't mean it like that, Van Helsing, I just meant I'm stressed and don't want to share what's wrong."
Van Helsing could almost read Carl's thoughts from his body movement, a trick he learned in his profession that served well on his enemies. "There's someone you keep thinking about. Like my constant thoughts on Anna."
Carl didn't know how to respond. 'How does he do that,' he wondered. 'Should I tell him about Madeline? He is my friend, and I do trust him. But, I'm not ready to admit to myself that I'm in love with Madeline. I don't think I can tell Van Helsing about this.' "No." Carl replied quickly.
Van Helsing raised one eyebrow. He could see right through Carl's 'No.' "Carl, I know that isn't true. Now, tell me what is going on with you. Is there a woman?"
Carl felt his mouth go dry. 'I guess there is.' Carl thought. 'But, really, is there? I only met Madeline for a few hours. I don't even know if she is married or not. But, she did love everything I told her about. And, she was very pretty.'
Van Helsing took his friend's silences as a confirmation. "Who is it, Carl?"
"No one." Carl muttered, but he couldn't hide the fact that his face was growing red.
"You're blushing, Carl, so tell me who you met." Van Helsing pushed.
Carl shook his head and pulled his hood over his face. "No one," he repeated.
Van Helsing sighed and gave up. "All right, if you don't want to tell me, I won't force you to." He leaned back against the wall and resumed gazing at the stars. 'Who could it be?' Van Helsing thought. 'It had to be someone we met. But, who? We met a few people on this boat, but were there any women traveling solo? Yes, I do recall a girl traveling to meet family, but is that the girl that Carl's so sidetracked on?'
Carl sat trying to ignore the voices in his head telling him to tell Van Helsing who he was in love with, but the voices were overpowering him. He looked over and saw Van Helsing in deep thought. 'He will figure it out eventually.' Carl sighed quietly and said, "Van Helsing, it is a woman."
Van Helsing turned to look at Carl, who pulled the hood back down to his neck. "Is she here, on this boat?" Van Helsing asked.
Carl shook his head, which tousled his blonde hair about. "No, she is not on this boat. We left her far from here," he said as he stared out the window.
Van Helsing knew that the only two places Carl could have met someone were traveling to Transylvania or at Vaseria. "I see, so was it someone we met as we stopped at inns while heading to Transylvania?"
Carl shook his head, and Van Helsing sighed. "Well then, Carl, tell me something about this mystery woman you met."
Carl looked at Van Helsing then down at the floor illuminated by the candles in the room. "She was younger than I am, surely. But, she was very kind and interested in my work. She listened as I talked for hours into the night. She had blonde hair that was a lighter shade than my own-- "
Van Helsing was not certain, but he had a feeling he knew who Carl was speaking of, and it worried him. 'Please don't be talking about Madeline, Carl,' he thought. He swallowed hard as Carl continued, "and her hair was very curly. I also don't believe I've ever seen a person with such lively green eyes."
Van Helsing shut his eyes and cursed inwardly. 'I can't let Carl go on falling for Madeline. How could he not know she is a vampire? Poor Carl, he will be crushed. But, I can't let him continue on pining for her.' Van Helsing told Carl, "Carl, I know who you're talking about."
Carl gave Van Helsing a baffled look. "You do?"
"Yes. Her name is Madeline Christophen."
Carl's eyes widened and he nodded furiously. "Yes, but when did you meet her?"
Van Helsing took in a deep breath. "Carl, there's something I have to tell you about Madeline."
Carl stared at Van Helsing, ready to hear what he had to say. 'What could it be,' he wondered. 'And, when did he meet Madeline?' But, Carl had a feeling in his gut that the news wasn't going to be good news. He could tell by the Van Helsing's tone that he had something bad that regarded Madeline.
"Carl, I don't know how to tell you this without it being a shock. But, Madeline is--"
As Van Helsing was about to reveal Madeline's secret, a man came rushing in the room. "Van Helsing," he cried.
"Yes." Van Helsing answered from the urgency in the man's voice.
The man panted and caught his breath before saying, "There is a disturbance on the boat. Some terrible creature is on the boat!" The man was hysterical, and his eyes were filled with fear.