Chapter 27
"In the morning we will look for Anna and for your Uncle." Velkan said finally. I had taken a seat on the pew, looking up in worry and trepidation.
"What if we don't find them?" I asked Velkan. "What of William? How will we save him?" I ventured further. Velkan had remained leaning against the cold stonewall of the church, his arms crossed.
"Anna should be in the church in the next village. That is the closest one to us. I doubt they ran to far after the werewolves attacked." Velkan said simply. His hand reached up absentmindedly to touch his chin. "As for your cousin, we will cross that bridge when we come to it, I suppose."
"They will not hurt him?" I asked.
"I doubt it. It seems your cousin will be of some use to Vladislaus Dracula." Velkan responded. I shook my head in worry. Velkan noticed and smiled.
"He will be perfectly alright!" he said. "Go to sleep. The sooner you do, the sooner we will be up tomorrow looking for everyone." He continued, his voice taking on a tone of persuasiveness. Doubtfully, I nodded my head yes.
Velkan looked at me for a moment, before taking a deep breath and approaching me. I kept my gaze cast on the ground. Worry had overtaken every other sense. I noticed Velkan's dark boots stop in front of me, though I did not lift my gaze to his. I kept it locked on the ground in thought.
He carefully removed his coat from my shoulders. Surprised at this sudden gesture, I looked up to meet his gaze. He was folding it neatly, as I watched him. In moments he had created a soft substitute for a pillow. He took it and placed it gently beside me before taking my shoulders and laying me down. The moment my head hit the soft cloth, I felt myself grow tired. I looked up at Velkan, a small smile on my lips.
"Rest." He said simply, his hands lingering on my shoulders. I did not attempt to remove them. "As much as I would enjoy your company, I would prefer to see you refreshed in the morning." He said simply. I smirked.
"My company is not the only thing you would like to enjoy." I said quietly, my voice almost seductive. It surprised me, hearing that leave my lips. I noticed Velkan's eyes widen in shock as I said this.
"Well, well, I didn't expect you to be the little minx that you are." He replied. "That definitely was not something I expected to come out of your mouth. Only minutes before you were telling me that you did not feel comfortable showing affection." I felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment. He chuckled, noticing this small gesture. "I like it. It amuses me." He finished finally. He leaned in, kissing me gently on the forehead. "Go to sleep."
Reluctantly, I shut my eyes, enveloping my senses in total darkness. Velkan's steps echoed throughout the church as he rose and began to walk away from me. I do not even remember falling asleep after that moment.
He lay there asleep, his hands carefully positioned underneath his head, being used as a crude pillow. He did not even move, his eyes peacefully closed and his breath even and comforting. I, however, could not go to sleep.
Thoughts of William burned within my mind and heart. Where was he at this moment? Was he thinking of me? Tears slowly began to form as I looked up at the ceiling of the church. Memories of our childhood together flashed through my memory, painful thoughts mixed with happy ones. Such a fitting place that Velkan and I had imprisoned ourselves. Now I could pray for my cousin in peace, with the hope that the Count would keep him safe, especially from Aleera. She had taken far to much interest in him.
I shifted on the pew, straining to find a comfortable position where I could rest. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't sleep. Perhaps Anna and my Uncle Christopher were going through the same motions as I was. Perhaps they could not sleep as well. I rose slightly from my pew, fixing the coat underneath me.
Velkan had given me his coat only some hours earlier, and I had taken it to keep me warm. As I began to grow tired, Velkan had folded it carefully beneath my head, using it as a pillow. I lay on a seat, off of the cold ground. He lay below me, in the shadow of the pew. I could not remember when he had fallen asleep.
Taking a deep breath, I tried my hardest to close my eyes and rest, but I could not, despite my exhaustion. I shifted my position on the pew, and glanced down at Velkan once again, taking a deep breath as I noticed him once again lying still on the floor of the church. How peaceful he seemed, almost like a child or a doll.
"Why aren't you sleeping, dearest?" I heard him mutter quietly. My eyes widened in surprise. I hadn't even realized he had remained awake. His eyes snapped open, looking at me with a happy sparkle shining within them. I smiled. "I tend to sleep with one eye open. I can tell when someone is watching me." He finished.
"I can't go to sleep." I responded simply. I rose from my spot on the pew and quickly removed the coat from beneath my head. I took it and passed it towards Velkan. "I think you have much more need for this that I do."
He took it, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "Are you sure?" he asked. I shook my head in affirmation.
"Go to sleep." I said quietly. I rose from my spot on the pew, climbing over him and walking quietly down the aisle, towards the window. I heard Velkan's voice break the silence once again.
"Christine, are you alright?" I turned to him once again and smiled affirmatively.
"I am perfectly alright. I am just worried about our family." I said simply. "Rest, I will be fine." Velkan smiled weakly at me, before laying his head back down onto his soft coat. I looked out the window once again, into the darkness of the night. It was a few moments before I once again heard the even quiet breaths of the Prince.
I stood by the window for what seemed like hours, though it was only minutes. The bright light of the moon shone through tiny slivers and wisps of clouds, casting its unearthly glow onto the streets of the village. It was beautiful. A brief flash of movement caught my attention suddenly, and my eyes shot about the darkness of the outside, trying my hardest to find the source of the movement.
A figure beckoned to me, a tall figure. It had landed gracefully onto the ground, hidden in the shadows. Whether it was male or female, I could not tell. The only movement I recognized was its hand calling to me. I looked back to where Velkan lay, fighting with myself as to whether I should heed the call. Velkan's breathing did not provide me with an answer. I slowly turned back to the window.
The figure had moved from the shadows, into the relative brightness of the street. It was the Count. He smiled once he noticed my shocked expression. He took a sudden step forward, almost threatening, and gasping, I stepped back in surprise.
"Christine!" he called to me. His voice was barely audible, but loud enough so I could hear. I looked back to Velkan's sleeping form, then back to the Count.
"Christine, come outside. I must speak with you!" he said. I narrowed my eyes in confusion, my hand reaching up habitually to cover my heart. He still wore the costume he had been wearing at the ball. I shook my head in defiance, reaching out to clutch the window frame.
"Christine…" came the Count's voice again, almost admonishingly. "Would you rather I came inside and interfered with your lover's rest?" he asked. My eyes flashed briefly in rage at hearing his comment. Hurrying from the window, I looked briefly in Velkan's direction before silently opening the doors of the church and stepping outside. Dracula's voice greeted me.
"You are a smart woman." He said. I shot my gaze around like a maniac, trying to find him once again. He had disappeared from the street. His voice was the only indication that he was still in the vicinity.
"He is not my lover!" I yelled in a hushed whisper. The doors to the church were still open. Quite suddenly, I heard them close behind me, softly enough so Velkan could not hear. I turned in surprise to find Dracula behind me.
"Oh, he is your lover." Dracula responded almost angrily at me. I shook my head in defiance as I saw his eyes sparkle in amusement. "Or he soon will be." Dracula finished.
"Why are you here!" I said loudly. Dracula, surprisingly, flinched at my heightened tone of voice. He reached out with his forefinger to touch my lips.
"Shhhh…." He said quietly. I reached up and swatted his hands away from me angrily. "There is no need to be so loud."
He turned away from me and began walking down the quiet street. My eyes followed him, not understanding this gesture. In moments he had stopped and turned his attention back to me.
"Come." He said simply. I looked back towards the church, worry in my eyes. Dracula, catching the gesture, laughed quietly. "Do not worry. I give my word as a gentleman that your lover will not be hurt." He continued.
"Stop calling him that." I said quietly.
"I will stop, only if you do as I say. Now, come." He said. Dracula reached out with his hand for me to take. Taking a pensive step forward, I approached him slowly. In moments he had taken my hand. I heard a quiet laugh issue from him.
"Where are we going?" I asked. He had taken a firm hold of my hand and was leading me away from the village, away from the church, and away from Velkan. He looked back momentarily and smiled at me.
"We are going where I am sure we will have privacy." He responded. I was a fool to follow him, but through some form of witchery, my feet followed him still. "I have something I would like to show you." He said quietly to me.
We walked on in silence as he was leading me towards a wooded pathway. In moments he had taken me to his carriage, which lay hidden from view, we stopped suddenly.
"We are going back to your castle, aren't we?" I asked.
"No. I am taking you somewhere where my brides would not dare touch you." He responded simply. "They are quite jealous of you, with the exception of Marishka. She was always the more accepting one of the bunch…" he murmured almost quietly to himself. I smiled despite the unfairness of the comment. No normal man kept three brides and still wanted another. My gaze on him darkened somewhat.
He had led me towards the carriage, and taking my waist gently, lifted me into it. He followed behind, pretending to be the gentleman he was most definitely not. The door closed behind us, and I heard the snort of the horses as the carriage began to move.
"Now," the Count said simply, smiling at me charmingly. "Now we can have our privacy." In moments, he had shifted from his position in the carriage to right beside me.
"What is it you want?" I asked quietly. He smiled.
"I do not know, my dear." He answered simply. His hand reached up to touch my cheek, sliding along my warm skin to the back of my neck. I took a sudden deep breath as his cold skin touched my own. "I know, I know…" he said quietly. "My skin is so cold."
"what is it you want?" I asked quietly, straining to meet his gaze. I heard him laugh.
"What do I want?" He responded. I felt himpull me to him gently. "I am offering you the world." He said through ragged breaths, quietly into my ear. My chest was heaving in apprehension, though I could not move. His other hand reached to take my shoulder. In moments, he had leant in to kiss me.
I felt a sudden sting of a cut. My hand shot to my shoulder.
When I pulled it away, I found blood on my hand. My eyes widened in shock, but when I moved to speak, nothing came out. I saw him smile. He kissed me once again, traveling down to my neck, grazing his teeth against my tender flesh. I tried to pull away, but I could not.
In moments he had found my wound. He groaned happily as he finally tasted my blood. I winced in pain as I finally felt his teeth breath through my skin. "Charlotte…" he murmured quietly. It was the last thing I heard him say.