Disclaimer: I own my friends that's all. (Friends glare) ok ….. maybe not.
Chapter 56
Aleera talked as easily too the princess as if they were sisters, an ironic sentiment considering their history.
Anna felt her hatred for Dracula grow as she was reminded of yet another little piece of happiness that he had stolen away and perverted.
"It's the little things that I love." She was saying, "The last look in my victims eyes,
The feel of the wind in my hair…and of course pleasing my master."
Anna cringed as Aleera leant down and licked her on the cheek, allowing her fangs to gently prick the delicate skin there.
"The master wishes to make you his third bride." She whispered relishing the shudder of revulsion and fear assaulting the princess's slender body.
She leant back allowing Anna to see her face transform, becoming grey and leathery. Her lips peeling back to reveal her terrifying fangs.
"But I won't let him, I want him all to myself."
Anna's eyes widened as she helplessly felt Aleera bringing her mouth towards her throat.
A blast of holy water hit the vampiress from behind, causing her to let Anna go abruptly.
Marston and Tony grinned in satisfaction as she screamed, clawing at her smoking back in agony. Their part officially over, they ducked back into the crowd taking advantage of the confusion to slip towards the edge of the room without being noticed.
Anna blinked in confusion, suddenly finding herself standing alone on the dance floor, still under the counts control she couldn't move or respond as Sarah and Jory suddenly appeared at her side.
"It's ok we've come for you." Sarah said breathlessly.
Upon the balcony Van Helsing gripped a loose rope that hung form the ceiling and waited for Jory's signal. Above the endless sea of masked faces a golden glint caught his eye.
Jory's mask caught the light from the candles and he aimed it carefully towards the balcony on which Van Helsing stood.
Without hesitating the hunter leapt off the ledge and swung over the heads of the distracted crowd. His heart leapt with joy as Anna appeared, Sarah using her vampiric strength to hoist her up above the crowd where he could easily reach her.
He grasped her a round the waist feeling her clutch desperately to him as they swung together up and on to the distant balcony.
Jory heard them go but did not dare turn to look. His eyes were firmly watching the count, who was still engaged in his reluctant meal, seemingly unaware of what had just transpired.
Around them the crowd was milling around the distraught Aleera in confusion. She cowered on the shinning dance floor in a foetal position while the exposed skin on her back began to heal over.
Incredibly she got to her feet and began to laugh, spinning in a circle to the amusement of the surrounding guests.
Tony and Marston froze meters away from the exit and turned to regard her with horror. She blew them both kisses and then vanished as the guests resumed their dancing and crossed in front of her.
"That's disturbing." Marston muttered glancing around frantically.
"Something's wrong." Tony said staring out at the crowd. "Why aren't they doing anything? We just attacked one of them and stole a hostage they should be doing something."
"They are doing something…their dancing." Marston exclaimed in surprise. "I'm enjoying this, a lot more than the crush-kill-destroy approach."
Tony glanced at him "I'm not."
Behind her mask Sarah felt almost invincible, they had just stolen Anna right under Dracula's nose and he was seemingly oblivious.
In fact no one seemed to have noticed anything had occurred at all. If it wasn't for the euphoria coursing through her body she might have paused and sensed the underlying anticipation of the vampires around her.
"Come on let's get out of here." She whispered to Jory turning to grasp his arm.
She froze when she turned and spotted the count across the room lowering the empty corpse of his latest meal gently to the ground, her eyes closed giving her a deceptively peaceful expression as if she were merely sleeping.
Jory was shaking slightly unusual pale with disgust. "He hasn't noticed anything…he hasn't moved." He reported shakily.
Sarah nodded beginning to lead him back through the crowd.
Suddenly Jory's hand grasped her own, stopping her in her tracks, his face a mask of fear. She glanced up sharply and across the room her gaze met Dracula's.
The count was staring straight at them leaning casually against the wall at his back, a wide grin on his face giving him the aspect of a skull under the flickering candlelight.
Unconsciously Jory's hand went to his waist where his sword usually rested, he cursed as he found only empty air. For the sake of secrecy no weapons had been brought into the ball save for the holy water vials that could easily be concealed.
"What do we do?" he asked his voice calm and his gaze never moving from the count.
They took a cautious step back. "No sudden movements." Sarah whispered, "Where's your holy water?"
"Jacket." He answered hurriedly.
"Can you reach it?"
"If I have too."
The count's grin widened in amusement as they took another step back from him. Taking a step of his own he paused in front of the crowd and bowed low…then he simply wasn't there.
"I think you have too!" Sarah exclaimed.
Panicking, they both turned to run only to slam into the counts solid chest.
Sarah shrieked in shock, Jory scrambled for the small vial concealed in the folds of his jacket.
Dracula held them both by their throats. his dark eyes found Sarah's and she felt his will forcing her body not to struggle. Jory's eyes widened as he began to experience the same paralysis.
Dracula smirked letting them both go and turning his attention to the terrified boy.
Jory's breath came in ragged gasps as he found himself face to face with the most famous and bloodthirsty vampire in history.
"Do you think you are a match for me boy? You're playing a dangerous game with Van Helsing and I'm afraid it's going to get you and your little friends killed." The count reached out and grabbed the boy's throat again lifting him off his feet.
Smiling he inclined his head in an elegant bow. "Thank you for returning my bride." He said pleasantly. Jory's eyes flickered to Sarah fearfully and then back to the vampire. "For that you may live longer."
Sarah cried out his name as Jory found himself flying across the room and into the crowd. He landed painfully on the hard wooden floor, the impact knocking his mask away and the small cut above his eyes he still carried from his first encounter with Aleera began to bleed freely.
He whimpered against the pain and rolled over gasping and struggling as strong hands pulled him to his feet and dragged him against a wall.
"Jory! Stop it!"
Marston cried out as the frantic boy punched him on the nose. "Ow! Shit!" he staggered away shaking his head to clear it from the pain as Jory came to his senses.
"Its ok man, it's us" Tony reassured him patting him on the shoulder.
Tony watched in sympathy as his friend sagged against the wall panting.
"Dracula…that bastard… threw me!!" he exclaimed in shock and anger. "Did you see?... Right across the room!"
Marston rejoined them looking slightly dazed. Jory calmed slightly and gestured to the red mark on his friends face.
"Sorry about that."
Marston just grunted and turned back to look across the dance floor. Tony and Jory followed his gaze to where Dracula had begun to dance with Sarah, her dress flowing out elegantly behind her, her face, a cool mask of fear and defiance.
Tony glared at the vampire "That is defiantly NOT part of the plan." He growled angrily.
Dracula was smiling to himself as he twisted and turned, relishing the feeling of his newest bride in his arms once again. He didn't love her, but he possessed her and that was enough…it was always enough… it made him god.
"Do you like my ball? I'm sure your familiar with the celebrations of this time of year?" he enquired as if they were old friends enjoying an innocent dance. Sarah glared at him bitterly refusing to answer his pointless questions.
He persisted regardless. "Samhain is the Pagan term I believe? The night the witches keep constant watch to the east, making sure the sun will rise again." Sarah regarded him hatefully.
"Did your lover teach you that?" she asked.
The count faltered slightly, his features becoming hard. "What would you know of her?" he asked his tone carrying an icy chill to it.
Sarah knew she was on dangerous ground, but stalling was all she could do, it might be enough to ensure that her friends got out of this alive.
"Before you were murdered you had a lover, she was a witch wasn't she?" she asked her voice strong. "That was why the order didn't approve of her, she practiced the dark arts. She was in league with the devil and she seduced you, taught you about the occult. That's how you brought her back from the dead…and why Van Helsing killed you."
Sarah's eyes widened in understanding "It wasn't Van Helsing's betrayal that made you what you are…it was hers."
The count remained cold for a while, simply regarding her with malice, though he continued the dance through the colourful court surrounding them. Sarah flinched as he brought his hand up, preparing herself for his strike.
She was shocked as his fingers tenderly stroked her cheek.
"Everything I am, it was all for love." He whispered to her.
She looked into his fathomless black eyes and a wave of pity assaulted her heart. All for love…he had abandoned his life, his religion. And in return he had been abandoned, condemned to death by his own father, the sentence carried out by his best friend. Briefly Sarah wondered if men weren't the real monsters.
"Would an eternity of love and devotion with me be so terrible?" he asked holding her body firmly as he led the dance.
A spark of lust shuddered through her body, clashing strongly with her revulsion for the creature, in whose grasp she was so helpless.
Her vampiric side subtly influenced her answer.
"It's the eternity part I'm having trouble with." She whispered honestly avoiding his direct gaze.
He smirked arrogantly and brought his hand up to caress her pale cheek. She closed her eyes against his touch, shivering at the thought of his cold dead fingers on her flesh. Turning away from him she took the chance to glance hurriedly around the ballroom, noting with relief that Jory had made it back to Marston and Tony.
All three were watching her with Dracula, concern and fear on each of their faces. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.
Tony was unconsciously gripping the vial of concealed holy water through his jacket, eyes narrowed in hatred directed at the powerful vampire that held her.
'Don't do anything stupid' she begged him silently.
A glimpse at the golden balcony confirmed that Van Helsing and Anna were safe for now, the hunter frantically trying to awaken the princess from her puppet like trance. There was still a chance all of them would get away.
The count frowned as he followed her gaze. "They won't escape." He whispered to her.
She met his gaze defiantly, "What makes you so sure?"
He grinned cryptically and with a speed to rival her own supernatural gift, seized her wrists in a grip even her vampiric strength couldn't break.
The girl gasped in shock and pain, all traces of pity for the creature gone in a flash. Across the room Tony leapt into the crowd, his face contorted with fury.
Jory and Marston tried to pull him back but failed, watching helplessly as he disappeared into the mass of vampire and human dancers.
"Crap!" exclaimed Marston furiously.
The plan was definitely going to hell.
Sarah glared at Dracula wincing as she felt the bones in her wrists grinding together under his vice like fingers.
"I'm sure, because I know that man up there like a brother." He hissed twisting her so she had a clear view of Van Helsing and Anna on the balcony.
The Princess was furiously ripping out the beautiful ruby adornments Dracula had decorated her in like a life sized doll.
Van Helsing was watching them.
Dracula met the hunter's eyes, leaning down to place his cold cheek against Sarah's.
"Honour and Courage are matters of the bone, what a man like Van Helsing will kill for, he will sometimes die for too."
Sarah pondered his words carefully. "His destiny is to die by one that he hunts." She whispered in comprehension feeling Dracula nod in confirmation.
Angrily She struggled against his hold twisting to look the count furiously in the eye "He will not die by your hand!" she said furiously. "But you will die by his."
The arrogant expression on his face disappeared into a demonic expression of pure rage. He raised his hand as if to strike her and she recoiled involuntarily.
Sneering he lowered his hand reaching for her low-cut bodice, she squirmed away from him in disgust but he held her fast. Reaching into her bodice and between her breasts he extracted the tiny vial of holy water with a mocking smirk on his face.
"You're such a bastard!" she hissed in fury.
Dracula's eyes flashed cobalt blue betraying his hidden nature. "You will learn who your Master is!" he hissed.
Tony's fury and impatience grew as he shouldered his way through the crowd.
As if by unspoken agreement they seemed to be dancing in away, that repeatedly forced him from his chosen path, delaying him from rescuing Sarah from the perverted counts clutches.
He kept his eyes on the couple, swearing under his breath as he saw the count seductively retrieve the vial of holy water, despite Sarah's struggles.
The rational part of his brain registered that, he was doing something incredibly stupid, and fortunately Tony was rarely rational.
The need for secrecy was forgotten and he clasped the holy water in his fist; his only weapon against the most powerful and annoyingly invincible vampire king.
A flash of white to his left attracted his attention and he beheld Aleera, in all her unearthly beauty, gliding gracefully towards the count and his reluctant hostage.
She was deceptively enchanting. The vampiress drew adoring glances from the male (and some of the female) guests as she passed.
The skin on her face bore a minor red tint on one cheek evidence of the attack she had endured just minutes before, a testament to the vampiric healing abilities Sarah now possessed.
Three couples suddenly converged on the floor in front of him, forcing him back a few steps and blocking his view of both Aleera and Dracula. Swearing in frustration, he darted past them to circle back and bring himself behind the Count.