Disclaimer: All I own in this is my friend's characters, nothing else is mine.

Chapter 15

Dracula closed the distance between them. Sarah frantically tried to move, to back away, anything, but his eyes were locked with hers, her body wouldn't respond. She was helpless.

Dracula smirked as he saw the fear in her eyes, her heart raced with each step he took. He relished in the struggle, amazed that still she fought against him. It was charming.

Her body trembled with the force of her resistance, her will was strong, and his influence was only able to restrain her. Mentally she was free and desperately trying to turn away from his gaze. His eyes were the key to his power she realized that now, allowing herself to look him in the eye had been her first mistake and she cursed herself for it.

How many novels of Dracula had she read? His powers were legendary and always his victims made the fatal mistake of meeting his gaze.

He was a few steps away from her now. The furious beat of her heart echoed around him, her scent teased him, and the candlelight glinted off her hair. Few things gave him pleasure anymore; he had once told his brides that he was hollow, that he felt nothing. To some extent this was true, he could not love but he hated with a passion, he took pleasure in the suffering of others, yes the terror of his victims gave him great pleasure.

The girl before him was the first to have challenged him openly, her words echoed in his head. "You amuse yourself don't you?" she had asked. He considered this now and realised that yes, his own amusement was often a result of his actions. At that moment he was greatly amused as this young girl fought against him.

He took the final step and felt her breath on his face, which was now inches from his own. At the edge of his mind he felt her desperation to pull back, her discomfort was clear, but then he realised her innocence. The fact that he was a man and so close was the main source of this discomfort. She flinched as he gently brushed a strand of hair off her face. 'So pure' he thought, 'yet so strong'.

Sarah's every instinct told her to back away, he was too close. She had never been so uncomfortable in her entire life. Stupidly her mind kept screaming "Personal space! Personal space!" over and over again.

Dracula grinned suddenly "You fight me still?" he asked teasing "by your will alone do I not possess your mind, but understand Sarah I command your body and in time your will shall weaken." At his words fear and doubt flickered across her mind and she felt him push through some of her mental shields. She forced herself to drown him out focusing on maintaining her sanity, but he had seen her weakness. It lay in her doubts he realised.

He knew now how he would possess her. Moving slowly he began to circle her, passing beyond her sight to stand behind her. Through his link to her mind he felt a flicker of panic. Sneering he began to speak. His tone was sarcastic and teasing, mocking her defiance.

"You play your will against mine? Me who commanded armies hundreds of years before you were born."

He laughed and placed his arms about her waist forcing her against him. "You are at my mercy Sarah. Whether I possess your mind or not you are helpless against me."

Suddenly her defences were down for a split second pure panic had faltered her concentration. He gave a cry of triumph, which mingled with her cry of anguish as he invaded her memories.

Images of her life were pulled form her as the room faded away. She was floating. Around her in the ether she heard echoes of laughter one by one memories swam before her eyes.

She saw herself running across a field in bright sunlight her dog Toby circling her, she was laughing as he caught her foot and she went tumbling to the ground. The smell of the grass came to her and the sun warmed her back. The image changed to show her surrounded by the woods at Alton, her friends were gathered around her Tony had Jory in a headlock and they were all laughing at the spectacle, she saw Amie turn and grin when the image again faded.

Dracula searched from memory to memory, until one materialised of what looked to be a tear in the air in front of him. "What's this?" he muttered watching as one by one her friends disappeared into the tear each seemingly pulled by an invisible source until Sarah herself had felt the pull. Dracula watched as she opened her eyes to see the Transylvanian forest at night, her friends stirred beside her and he noted the concern with which they regarded each other. They asked after each other before checking themselves for injury. The memory shifted and he saw that he walked through the woods with the group towards the distant village the full moon guiding their steps. Here he pulled out of her mind he knew the rest, had seen it through Velkan's werewolf eyes.

He released his hold on Sarah's mind and spun her to face him. She blinked and shook her head bewildered "What…where…?" She questioned the fog over her mind fading slowly. Another world he thought with wonder, the possibilities were endless!

This was more than he'd hoped for. Sarah's heart beat had slowed somewhat and now it quickened again the rhythm prompting him to dance out his pleasure.

Abruptly Sarah remembered her predicament she glared at the man before her "what did you do?" she asked anger momentarily blocking the fear.

Dracula cocked his head to one side as if listening to something. Sarah blinked in confusion and watched in wonder as he began to beat out a steady rhythm with his hands.

The rhythm became faster and he started to step in time to it, mimicking a strange sort of waltz. Suddenly she realized what he was dancing to. "My heart beat" she whispered her mind replaying the scene from the movie his words came back to her, "I can tell the character of a man by the sound of his heartbeat. Usually when I approach I can almost dance to the beat…"

Dracula saw comprehension in her eyes and smiled, 'she knows why I dance' he realised. He moved fast and caught her in his arms placing his hand in hers and one about her waist forcing her body to join him in his dance.

Sarah tried to stop her rebellious body from moving with his, but again found that she was not the one in control. Her heart pounded threatening to burst through her chest. He stepped in time with each beat and she felt the speed of the dance increase.

Dracula found himself relishing the dance. This girl intrigued him; he spun her and caught her in his arms feeling the curve of her body against his. Her blond hair and large eyes gave her a unique beauty. He found that she stirred him when she challenged him openly. Perhaps he thought he had found his new bride.

He spun her away from him and then drew her back roughly so her back was against his chest. The danced stopped.

Sarah gasped as she felt his hand move up to clasp her neck. Gently he removed the hair covering the flesh and brought his mouth close to her ear. "I am in need of a new bride Sarah," he whispered. Sarah bit her lip to keep herself from screaming out but her body jolted violently at his words.

Dracula released his hold on her body wanting to feel her reaction to his words, she could not escape the arm around her waist was like an iron bar chaining her to him. He saw her fighting the scream of terror that threatened to escape. He found that he respected her silence she did not wish him to know her terror.

Gently he placed his control on her mind again placing her in a dream like state. Her body sagged against him and he swept her into his arms. "A small moment of pain and you can feel like this forever" he whispered allowing her to here his words.

Sarah was floating, a wonderful feeling overcame her. There was nothing to fear here she was safe. From far away a voice whispered to her "A small moment of pain and you can feel like this forever." Yes she wanted that she thought. What else was there?

Dracula felt her acceptance and his fangs grew. The moment he buried them in her neck his hold on her disappeared. She gave a strangled cry as he pierced the skin. "No" she whispered, he had tricked her.

A loud rushing sound filled her ears and suddenly she heard the steady thud of her heart beat…the pace began to slow…her eyes drooped and eventually closed, darkness rushed up to meet her.

Tony couldn't keep still he paced the room clenching and unclenching his fists rhythmically with each step he took as he listened to his friends recount the events that had taken place after he was drugged. They were all gathered in Jory's room Chris was sat on the windowsill staring out at the storm.

"Hmmm a storm in a remote Transylvanian valley, how original." He muttered to himself.

Amie stood beside him "Sarah would have said that" she whispered.

Jory sat on the bed his head in his hands; Bob and Marston were next to him watching Tony. Who walked over to the fireplace and threw a new log on to the fire violently causing sparks to jump on to the stone around it.

"We're not fucking children!" he yelled.

"Yes we are" Jory whispered raising his head. He looked at them all. "Compared to Van Helsing we are nothing but children. We wouldn't have stood a chance and he knew it."

Tony slumped against the wall suddenly deflated. "She's alive and she needs us, and we can't help her." He said.

Marston broke the silence that followed "We lost Sarah" he said his voice breaking "but we have to make sure that next time we won't lose anyone else." They all looked at him. "Jory said Anna was teaching Sarah to use a sword." Jory nodded "Ok well if she will I think she should teach us all how to fight. We don't know how long it will take us to get home" here he hesitated.

"If we ever do get home," Bob said.

Marston went on quickly "So we need to be able to defend ourselves." He pointed out.

Everyone silently considered it. After a few minutes Tony stood and made for the door, "Where are you going?" asked Amie.

Tony looked back "To find Anna and Van Helsing, may as well start now. Unless you've got something better to do?" he walked out of the door. Chris got to his feet and followed him, soon after the others did the same.

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Note: Officially off work for six days now so may just keep writing and update more chapters than usual, lol writings addictive.