After searching the entire castle for Igor (she needed blood despite the fact she was against drinking from a human being) or the dwegis she decided to pay a little visit on her master. Although she was against him being her 'master', she was not owned by anyone. She entered his large sleeping chambers. The room echoed coldness and emptiness. The brides did not dare wake him, yet Marriskha was not one of them. She opened his coffin as the sun was just setting. Hoping the brides would be away for some time, she shook him fully aware that vampires were heavy sleepers. Now Marriskha had never kissed the Count for she loathed his tricks and his touch, thinking she was his. This only angered her more when he touched her cold lips, feeling his tongue trying to enter her mouth, yet she had always pushed him away, once, even slapped him.

She closed her eyes, praying to God that he would forgive her for kissing the son of the devil. She then opened her eyes for a split second as her lips touched his. He slowly opened his eyes and only for a moment, she felt something in her dead heart, a quick flutter, little did she know her hollow master felt the same. "How come you do not do that every night?" his thick Transylvanian accent rang through the empty room. She had to smile at this remark. "I have not seen that smile for a long time" he continued, pulling her down and this time, she did not refuse for she needed blood and she felt tired and almost weak. She lay beside him for the first time in five years. He smiled at her obeying and then frowned, he sensed her lack of blood. "A vampire needs to feed my Marriskha, you are weak and need blood," he whispered and she nodded. "Drink" he looked into her eyes and again, she felt something, she sensed something in the Count, some feeling in his hollow body. "I sense something in you" she spoke her thoughts and she took his hand, and for the first time, he was allowed to touch her. He took it further and laid his hands on her body, she breathed, letting her body rise and fall, she was enjoying his touch. "Kiss me again," she whispered, not wanting to break this moment, yet scared of what they were doing. She was weak, weak enough to let the Count hypnotise her into letting him touch her, but she knew, he was not. She was allowing him to be with her. He leant down heads so close and kissed her. She opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to explore her mouth and they held their first passionate kiss and for once, she felt contented. He broke the kiss and said to her, "drink from me". She looked up at him, "you will allow me? But you do not let your brides drink from you…why me?"

"You are not them, you are different and more…unique". The young vampire was touched at the Count's words and yet surprised that he was showing his kindness towards her. Her fangs unsheathed at the mention of feeding and she leant towards his neck. She kissed him gently in a way of thanking him. Before she could bite into him, he pushed her away and shouted "Evelyn!" and jumped down from the coffin, awaking the bats of the night. Marriskha knew the bond was broken and she realised it was never meant to be. The brides came first and always would be, she would come last. Aleera and Verona flew into the chambers, the Count walked towards them wondering why his second bride was gone. "We lost Evelyn", Verona moaned to her master and Marriskha had the energy to roll her eyes, at least one of them was gone. "There there, my darlings…I shall find another bride", the Count replied, not that caring towards their loss. Marriskha froze; she was the last and forgotten. "Do we mean so little to you?" Aleera angrily said, forgetting her place.

"Have you no heart?" Verona asked him, sadly. Yet Marrishka heard no reply, as, from her hunger and weakness, she had fainted.