Dracula raised the knife quickly from Adrian's neck and turned his head to
the door, letting out an evil hiss. Marishka, Dracula's youngest bride, ran
from the doorway towards the bed and fell to her knees, her hands reaching
out at his clothes in a pleading manner.
Her voice shook as she spoke, as pitiful and sad as it could get, "Master! Please do not harm her any further." She was sobbing now as Dracula sat at the end of the bed, the wounded girl on the bed completely forgotten. "Please. I cannot bare to see her hurt."
Dracula shoved his bride back causing her to fall to the ground. She picked herself up and cowered as he stood. "You have killed and fed of countless mortals, taking pride in each one. You play games with them like a cat plays with a mouse. You slaughter children and bathe in their blood." He roughly grabs Adrian by the back of her shirt and heaves her to her feet. She stumbles dazed and barely conscious the cut on her neck slowly dripping blood that flows in a kind of stream down to her shirt collar. "What makes this one different? What makes you show pity upon this weak creature?"
He lets go of Adrian and gives her a little shove sending her falling forward to her knees, her hands holding her up in a sort of kneeling position. She struggles to lift her head and looks up at the lady standing before her, "Ma...Marishka?" Adrian falls and Marishka is instantly there, cradling the limp body as if it were a baby.
Dracula takes a step towards them and speaks softly to his bride, "What are you getting out of this my love?"
She looks up at him then back to the child, her eyes full of love. "I get a child. A life I can care for."
"And you chose a mortal? I have brought across many children, could you not just choose one of them?"
"I want a child of my own, Dracula! One that has had no family and loves me in return with out knowing what I am."
"What do you think she will think, now that she knows who you are?"
"It will not matter to her!"
"Marishka..."
"I want a child! You can't give that to me!"
That statement hit Dracula hard and he knelt beside his sorrowful bride. "My other brides have been through this before as well, but they have never brought a living child back from a hunt. First there was Aleera and I made a second bride, Verona, who was like a child for her to teach. Then Verona wished for a child, claiming that the children I made vampires were not the same. So I brought you, and they both were mothers to you." His eyes went to the passed-out Adrian. "This one will not work my love. Your sisters wish to see her in pain or dead and you refuse to have me make her one of us."
"I want to see her grow." Adrian shifted and her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at Marishka and gave a sigh of relief but that quickly stopped when she realized that she was still in the castle with Dracula.
Dracula locked eyes with the girl and with out looking at his bride spoke, "Leave us now Marishka."
She carefully released the girl and stood, not wanting to question her master any further for fear of upsetting him. Taking one sorrowful look at Adrian, she closed the door behind her, leaving the two alone.
Adrian watched the closed door, eyes wide with disbelief. "She is a vampire?"
Dracula stood behind her, "She is one of my brides."
She kept her eyes glued to the door, "No. No she isn't one of you. She came to save me. To take me away from you." She turned around and saw Dracula pulling back the curtains from the large window. Thick clouds were scattered across the night sky blocking out the shine of the stars.
He turned back to face her. "If that were true, why did she leave you here?"
"Because she was afraid. You hypnotized her. She would not just leave me here."
He let out a tired sigh, picking up the large knife Adrian had used on him and returning it to the dresser where it was originally. She nervously rubbed the cut on her neck and eyeing her knife, which he had left on the bed. "You will not make it Orphan. You can try and I..." Adrian made a dash for the bed only to be grabbed by her wrist, only a few inches from the knife. "Admire the courage your showing" He finishes smugly his vice grip crushing her arm.
A pale white glow slowly begins to fill the room. Adrian abruptly stops paying attention to the pain and Dracula and stares in horror as the huge full moon makes its way from behind a cloud into a patch of clear sky. She pulls against Dracula's grip reaching out with her free hand towards the window making wild futile grasps for the curtains. Dracula understands quickly and releases her as moonlight fills the room and he watches her in amusement.
Adrian rushes forward at the window but it is too late. She shrieks in pain as the silver light flows over her like fire. She falls onto her back as her bones and muscles shift and grow. Her hands grab her shirt and skin ripping and tearing them, revealing dark brown fur with blond streaks that match her hair color. Completely in wolf form, her scream changes into a howl as she gets to her feet. Dracula watches her stand, staying very still, a serious look on his face.
"So the orphan is also a wolf." He takes a step forward and Adrian jumps onto the wall climbing towards the window. She breaks though the glass and climbs down the side of the castle quickly. Dracula stands in the window frame watching her disappear into the forest. "This could be quite useful." He murmurs to himself them turns back into his room and walks out the door
Her voice shook as she spoke, as pitiful and sad as it could get, "Master! Please do not harm her any further." She was sobbing now as Dracula sat at the end of the bed, the wounded girl on the bed completely forgotten. "Please. I cannot bare to see her hurt."
Dracula shoved his bride back causing her to fall to the ground. She picked herself up and cowered as he stood. "You have killed and fed of countless mortals, taking pride in each one. You play games with them like a cat plays with a mouse. You slaughter children and bathe in their blood." He roughly grabs Adrian by the back of her shirt and heaves her to her feet. She stumbles dazed and barely conscious the cut on her neck slowly dripping blood that flows in a kind of stream down to her shirt collar. "What makes this one different? What makes you show pity upon this weak creature?"
He lets go of Adrian and gives her a little shove sending her falling forward to her knees, her hands holding her up in a sort of kneeling position. She struggles to lift her head and looks up at the lady standing before her, "Ma...Marishka?" Adrian falls and Marishka is instantly there, cradling the limp body as if it were a baby.
Dracula takes a step towards them and speaks softly to his bride, "What are you getting out of this my love?"
She looks up at him then back to the child, her eyes full of love. "I get a child. A life I can care for."
"And you chose a mortal? I have brought across many children, could you not just choose one of them?"
"I want a child of my own, Dracula! One that has had no family and loves me in return with out knowing what I am."
"What do you think she will think, now that she knows who you are?"
"It will not matter to her!"
"Marishka..."
"I want a child! You can't give that to me!"
That statement hit Dracula hard and he knelt beside his sorrowful bride. "My other brides have been through this before as well, but they have never brought a living child back from a hunt. First there was Aleera and I made a second bride, Verona, who was like a child for her to teach. Then Verona wished for a child, claiming that the children I made vampires were not the same. So I brought you, and they both were mothers to you." His eyes went to the passed-out Adrian. "This one will not work my love. Your sisters wish to see her in pain or dead and you refuse to have me make her one of us."
"I want to see her grow." Adrian shifted and her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at Marishka and gave a sigh of relief but that quickly stopped when she realized that she was still in the castle with Dracula.
Dracula locked eyes with the girl and with out looking at his bride spoke, "Leave us now Marishka."
She carefully released the girl and stood, not wanting to question her master any further for fear of upsetting him. Taking one sorrowful look at Adrian, she closed the door behind her, leaving the two alone.
Adrian watched the closed door, eyes wide with disbelief. "She is a vampire?"
Dracula stood behind her, "She is one of my brides."
She kept her eyes glued to the door, "No. No she isn't one of you. She came to save me. To take me away from you." She turned around and saw Dracula pulling back the curtains from the large window. Thick clouds were scattered across the night sky blocking out the shine of the stars.
He turned back to face her. "If that were true, why did she leave you here?"
"Because she was afraid. You hypnotized her. She would not just leave me here."
He let out a tired sigh, picking up the large knife Adrian had used on him and returning it to the dresser where it was originally. She nervously rubbed the cut on her neck and eyeing her knife, which he had left on the bed. "You will not make it Orphan. You can try and I..." Adrian made a dash for the bed only to be grabbed by her wrist, only a few inches from the knife. "Admire the courage your showing" He finishes smugly his vice grip crushing her arm.
A pale white glow slowly begins to fill the room. Adrian abruptly stops paying attention to the pain and Dracula and stares in horror as the huge full moon makes its way from behind a cloud into a patch of clear sky. She pulls against Dracula's grip reaching out with her free hand towards the window making wild futile grasps for the curtains. Dracula understands quickly and releases her as moonlight fills the room and he watches her in amusement.
Adrian rushes forward at the window but it is too late. She shrieks in pain as the silver light flows over her like fire. She falls onto her back as her bones and muscles shift and grow. Her hands grab her shirt and skin ripping and tearing them, revealing dark brown fur with blond streaks that match her hair color. Completely in wolf form, her scream changes into a howl as she gets to her feet. Dracula watches her stand, staying very still, a serious look on his face.
"So the orphan is also a wolf." He takes a step forward and Adrian jumps onto the wall climbing towards the window. She breaks though the glass and climbs down the side of the castle quickly. Dracula stands in the window frame watching her disappear into the forest. "This could be quite useful." He murmurs to himself them turns back into his room and walks out the door